168 
ZOOLOGY. 
dertis sayanus De Kay) occupies the nest of the common 
sun-fish, and with the female guards it and afterwards he 
young till they are nearly a centimetre (two-fifths inch) iu 
length, when they are left by their parents. (Abbot.) 
The darters, EtJieostomidce, belong near the perches, and 
comprise the smallest of fishes. They inhabit the streams 
of the Mississippi Valley. A common example is the sand- 
darter {Pleurolepis pellucidiis, Fig. 213). 
The male stickleback (Gasterosteus) makes an elaborate 
nest of leaves, etc., suspended in mid-water, within which 
it remains watching the eggs and young. 
One of the most valuable food-fishes is the mackerel 
{Scomier scomhrus, Fig. 214), whose range is from Green- 
FiG. 2l4.'-The Mackerel, Scomber scombrus, one quarter natural size. 
land to Cape Hatteras. It remains in deep water during 
the late autumn and winter, approaching the coast in May 
and June for the purpose of spawning, its annual appear- 
ance being very regular. The number of eggs deposited in 
one season by each female is said to be from five to six 
hundred thousand. After spawning they move northward, 
following the coast until they are checked by the coolness 
of the water, when they return, and in November seek the 
Fig. 213.~Sand-Darter. After Jordan. 
