366
THE BIOLOGY OF FISHES
carefully observed and described by the Rev. N. Abraham-.
This time it is the turn of the female to earn the honours,
Her care of the
them in her mouth—may
be ascribed to grèed in the rst place,. but at any rate it
represents some courage in withstanding the attacks of the
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According to Abraham the mother in one case kept them
in her mouth for about ten days after the young weré'hatched.
Then one morning the observer saw a crowd of tiny shes
playing round the head of the parent. Sheherself was only
about three inches long, yet there were more than
the tiny fry. With the slightest disturbance of the Water,
the whole of them collected in front and the mother opened
her mouth to let them enter.
She kept them shut up
for
several hours, then two or three:—were blown out like smoke
from a pipe, then several more until about thirty were free
in thewater_,
Were shaken out all at once
by a rapid
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days thereafter she watched and cared for them.
A few shrimps- which had been placed in the tank were
so harriedand chased, that the observer had ,thèm- removed ;
even
later she attacked anything strange that appeat€d
in the water.
And every evening, when darkness cam6With
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the night, she withdrew into a corner and put them toÏsl'eep
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in her-mouth.
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