No 419] HABITS OF AMEIURUS NEBULOSUS. 917 
feet of the spot I waited until the turbidity cleared, when I 
saw a large bullhead lying motionless on the bottom and at a 
depth of eight to ten inches. After a period of some five 
minutes she swam close to the shore, placed her head in a 
slight excavation, and with a violent action of the entire body 
threw up another cloud of mud. When the water again cleared 
she was observed a short distance from the excavation. At 
short intervals the process was repeated. The excavation was 
being made in soft clean sand and beneath the sod bank which 
formed the shore of the lagoon. I had watched the movements 
of the fish for a half-hour or more when a second fish appeared 
and at once began to excavate in a manner similar to that 
noted for the former, the first fish meanwhile lying motionless 
a few feet away. Although both fishes were pretty well 
covered with sand, a number of differences were observed. 
The latter was much darker than the former, the abdomen a 
brighter yellow with less protruding abdominal walls, and 
although about the same size, I concluded that the latter was 
the male and that they had mated. While the excavating was 
now done by one, now by the other, it seemed that the female 
took the more active part. After watching the actions ot the 
pair for an hour or more I retired and did not again visit the 
nest until the morning of the following day, when both fishes 
were again observed at work in the same manner. as on the 
preceding day. The excavation was now deep enough - 
almost entirely hide the fishes, the tips of their tails barely 
showing. The nest had been greatly enlarged, as was evidenced 
by the quantity of sand which had been thrown out and which 
now covered an area of about three or four square feet, with x 
maximum depth of four or five inches. The top of m little 
mound was hollowed out into a deep, saucerlike depression 
from which a broad groove led to the nest. 
i her indications that the 
still in progress. The female was at this time wane ET 
in the saucer-like depression, from which she d i Eos 
After considerable jarring over the nest the male was trig 
Out. I was not permitted to disturb th 
