354
BIOLOGY OF FISHES
even
Zoophytes.
whole are woven together by. a f
thread—like, mucus material, like a spider’s web, which is
secreted and manipulaæd
male, :
,
From the investigations of Prince (188 5) it appears
that this mucus secretion is
the kidneys, either
—
by the cells of the urinary
the cells themselves
degenerate and serve as mucus. In either case it is the
excretory organ that is used
the purpose,
and the male
appearsto select a suitable mass of seaweéd and to attach to
it by mere contact the viscid mass of mucus protruding from
the urinary aperture. Then passing and repassing
under the growing nest he binds all rmly together. When
'
all is ready he goes in search of a female, usually not very
far away, and induçes her by various means to enter the nest,
where she sheds theËeggs. Sometimes she escapes and he
to obtainanother ”or even a third, but when he has
collected a Suicient number of eggs and fertilised them, hc
getsrid of the females in a
fashion and takes
,
,
_
_
_
The nest building in_the freshwaterÿfèr'm aculeatus; has
ÈÇQQ,Carefully described by several observers, and Smitt in
the "‘Α: Scandinavian Fishes
”
gives the following account
,
(from Brehm) of the wonderful performance.
“
At times
the _male"Shook
then pressed it together
again ; at
kepts_wimming over it.
.
With his ns,
whith he—hept in continual and'rapid£motion, he produced a
currentandthus"washed away from the nest the pieces that
were t00:light and the loose stalkS, whièhÏ;—he,then took up
again and tried to t in more durably;
about four
hour—SE procure thevarioœ building-materials; but _at— the
eXPÏÏ3ËQIÏ-ÿ0f
of thejneätwerereadÿ,
"
Its completion, the; relÔV‘al ofj_theparts that are too light,.
the arrangement
the plaiting of their
ends, and the additiQn Of: the sand
weigh them down,
l‘equiïe S€V€Ialdàÿs= While the Sticklebaick is building his
nest, hethinks only Of his Work and endeavours merely to ‘
any
progresser
Î_0 1tS—îCQmP16ÜOH.Ÿ
"
He
and watches
BIOLOGY OF FISHES
even
Zoophytes.
whole are woven together by. a f
thread—like, mucus material, like a spider’s web, which is
secreted and manipulaæd
male, :
,
From the investigations of Prince (188 5) it appears
that this mucus secretion is
the kidneys, either
—
by the cells of the urinary
the cells themselves
degenerate and serve as mucus. In either case it is the
excretory organ that is used
the purpose,
and the male
appearsto select a suitable mass of seaweéd and to attach to
it by mere contact the viscid mass of mucus protruding from
the urinary aperture. Then passing and repassing
under the growing nest he binds all rmly together. When
'
all is ready he goes in search of a female, usually not very
far away, and induçes her by various means to enter the nest,
where she sheds theËeggs. Sometimes she escapes and he
to obtainanother ”or even a third, but when he has
collected a Suicient number of eggs and fertilised them, hc
getsrid of the females in a
fashion and takes
,
,
_
_
_
The nest building in_the freshwaterÿfèr'm aculeatus; has
ÈÇQQ,Carefully described by several observers, and Smitt in
the "‘Α: Scandinavian Fishes
”
gives the following account
,
(from Brehm) of the wonderful performance.
“
At times
the _male"Shook
then pressed it together
again ; at
kepts_wimming over it.
.
With his ns,
whith he—hept in continual and'rapid£motion, he produced a
currentandthus"washed away from the nest the pieces that
were t00:light and the loose stalkS, whièhÏ;—he,then took up
again and tried to t in more durably;
about four
hour—SE procure thevarioœ building-materials; but _at— the
eXPÏÏ3ËQIÏ-ÿ0f
of thejneätwerereadÿ,
"
Its completion, the; relÔV‘al ofj_theparts that are too light,.
the arrangement
the plaiting of their
ends, and the additiQn Of: the sand
weigh them down,
l‘equiïe S€V€Ialdàÿs= While the Sticklebaick is building his
nest, hethinks only Of his Work and endeavours merely to ‘
any
progresser
Î_0 1tS—îCQmP16ÜOH.Ÿ
"
He
and watches