26 NOTES ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE PURPLE-STRIPED GUDGEON. 



The spawning being completed, the male at once placed himself perpendicularly above the 

 ova, frequently changing his position, his head being sometimes up, at others down. He re- 

 mained over the eggs for nine days, the period of incubation, and I suppose he obtained his food 

 at night, as he was never feeding at the time of my visits. In thirty-six hours the gelatinous 

 base of each egg had become elongated into a peduncle, the eggs themselves being also larger, and 

 provided with a globule of air on the yolks. On the third day he commenced to fan them con- 

 tinually by oscillating his pectoral and caudal fins. These actions kept the ova in a constant 

 swirl, and were continued until the fry emerged and took shelter in the weeds. 



On the morning of the 20th, I noticed the first signs of eyes, and at g p.m. they were dis- 

 tinctly visible On the 25th at 9 a.m., the fry were emerging from the eggs, nine days after their 

 deposition. For a while they hung head downwards from the empty egg-capsules by means of 

 their tails, which were bent like the curve of a fish-hook. The motions of respiration and a 

 tremulous movement of the pectoral fins were the first indications of life when they came into the 

 world. At 8 p.m. the following day they had all dispersed among the weeds, where they were 

 further guarded by the male for another twenty-four hours. The temperature of the water at 

 this time was about eighty degrees. 



There were no sterile eggs in the first few nests, the first one being observed in the fourth. 

 The eighth nest contained thirteen, and the number continued to increase as the season advanced. 



