1092 Marvels of the Universe 
PARENTAL CARE AMONG THE FISHES 
IBC Vio 125 IPNACIYNEI, 19495, IIRC, 
ONE can hardly suppress surprise at the striking demonstrations of affection which one finds 
among the cold-blooded fishes in regard to the care which they display for their offspring. For in 
this respect they are in advance of the Reptiles, though their distant relations, the Amphibia—the 
frogs and toads and their kin—include 
within their ranks no less striking in- 
stances of parental care. 
Two illustrations of this aspect of 
fish-life must suffice for our present 
purpose. The first of these shall be 
furnished by the American Bow-fin, 
which, in the preparation of the 
nursery for its young, displays a re- 
markable solicitude. In the spring 
the male and female come up from 
the deep water to the reedy shallows 
to spawn. But, unlike most river- 
dwellers, they take elaborate precau- 
tions to secure the safety of their 
future offspring. This they do by 
clearing away the reeds over a large 
circular area, biting through the stems 
of all plants that cannot be broken 
down. Then a shallow depression is 
formed at the bottom of the pool 
thus created, and in this the eggs are 
deposited. These develop with  re- 
markable rapidity, not more than 
eight days dividing the interval of 
laying and hatching. 
The young are most jealously 
guarded, but by the male only. He 
keeps the swarm together by circling 
around and above them continually, 
Photo bu} (2. Step, F.L.S. 
WHITE HELVELLA and his task can be no light one, since 
A singular fungus of delicate appearance and structure. The ribbed he may have to secure the safety of as 
and furrowed stem is hollow. (Natura! size.) 
many as a thousand individuals. 
The part played by the male is the more striking, since he does not exceed more than 
one and a half feet in length, while his mate attains a length of two feet, a disparity in 
size recalling what obtains among the birds of prey. The likeness is further accentuated 
by the fact that the male Bow-fin is the more brightly coloured of the two, the dark mottled- 
green colour common to both sexes being relieved in the case of the male by a round black spot 
margined with yellow at the base of the tail. 
The Bow-fin is a most voracious fish, feeding largely upon crustacea and insects; but besides, 
whenever opportunity affords, on other fish. It is also one of those remarkable fish wherein the air- 
bladder has developed a rich supply of blood-vessels, thereby enabling it to ‘perform the work of a 
