In a small theta pinch, a density pulse propagating to the end is found to form after the compression phase. Doppler‐shift measurements of the He ii, &lgr; = 4686 A˚ line indicate that axial particle flow is present only during the implosion, thermal conduction being the dominant end‐loss mechanism at later times. Comparison of the actual heat flux with that expected from classical theory, the presence of an enhanced forbidden component as well as plasma satellites of the He i, &lgr; = 4922 A˚ line outside the coil region, and a flat‐top electron distribution function obtained by Thomson scattering, lead to the conclusion that thermal conduction is anomalous. The concept of a replacement wave is successfully applied to account for the observed phenomena.