No. 523] 



NOTES ON BEAUFORT FISHES 



403 



normal. Later in the day my attention was called by 

 one of the laboratory men to some spawn floating near 

 the bottom of the tank. This was examined and found to 

 have a greenish color, and undoubtedly was the eggs of 

 one of the gars, presumably the larger. The crook in 

 the body of this fish was probably the result of an effort 

 on her part to rid herself of the eggs without the aid of 

 the sexual excitement engendered by the presence and 

 activity of a male as noted by Dean. 9 The eggs had 

 gone bad— strong evidence that the smaller fish was also 

 a female, men I left Beaufort, at the end of the first 

 week in July, the fish were in prime condition. 



Although the water in the tank (size 3 feet by 8) in 

 which the fish were confined, was not more than six inches 

 deep and was aerated only send-occasionally, the fish did 

 not seem to suffer, thanks to their vascularized air blad- 

 ders. I watched these gars at irregular but fairly frequent 

 intervals during my six weeks' stay, and noticed that the 

 larger fish seldom came to the surface for air, but that 

 one was quite sure in a few minutes' watching to see the 

 smaller do so. Certain preliminary symptoms always 

 preceded this action : the fish would swim around slowly 

 but uneasily, would shake its head from side to side, 

 would raise its snout nearly to the surface of the water 

 and then sink down; finally with almost imperceptible 

 rapidity the snout would be thrust out of the water and 

 the jaws would open and shut with a convulsive snap; 

 then, as the fish slowly sank to the bottom of the tank, 

 the gill covers would expand and one or two large bubbles 

 of air would escape from under 



