^^'^^^flwfl? Fish kept in a limited portion of Water. 277" 



and carrying them in its mouth to one particular spot, where he 

 appeared to force them into the sand and gravel with his nose. 

 Being perfectly unacquainted at the time with the fact of this 

 little creature building a nest, I watched him more attentively. 

 He had selected a spot behind a piece of rock-work, almost hidden 

 from view at the front of the case and towards the room ; but on 

 looking down from the top of the water I could perceive that he 

 had already constructed a small hole as round as a ring and with 

 a good broad margin to it, formed of the materials he had been 

 so industriously collecting, and on which he appeared to have 

 placed numerous particles of sand and small pebbles. This 

 spot he guarded with the utmost jealousy, continually starting 

 forth from his position and attacking the other fish with most 

 extraordinary fury. The desperate ferocity with which this 

 fish attacked the others, and the continued turmoil the whole 

 pond was kept in, determined me to do a most absurd act, 

 which I instantly afterwards regretted, and my want of know- 

 ledge of the subject at the time had prevented my foreseeing, 

 namely to remove this fish from the pond. I therefore caught 

 it in a small muslin net, and without the slightest trouble, 

 as he attacked the net the instant it was introduced. But 

 what was the consequence ? No sooner was he removed from 

 the water than the other fish darted to the spot he had been 

 protecting, pulled forth a mass of eggs which had been 

 deposited there, and which I had not previously seen, tore it to 

 pieces among them, and devoured it before I had time even to 

 shake my prisoner out of his confinement ; however, it taught me 

 a fact in natural history, and it may perhaps be novel to others. 

 So ended my experience of 1851. 



Now I think it will be evident from what I have stated that these 

 eggs must have been deposited by the female fish, and the nest 

 made around them afterwards ; and this I think was also the case 

 with the fish experimented on this year by my friend Mr. Gratton, 

 who had a fine brood of young sticklebacks hatched after fourteen 

 or fifteen days, the nest being formed immediately after the in- 

 troduction of the fish. 



The appearance of the male fish during this spawning period 

 is beautiful beyond description. The eye is of the most splendid 

 green colour, having a perfectly metallic lustre like the green 

 feathers of some species of humming-bird. The throat and belly 

 are of a bright crimson, the back of an ashy green, and the whole 

 fish appears as though it were somewhat translucent and glowed 

 with an internal incandescence : his ferocity during this period is 

 extraordinary. How so small a creature can bear up so long 

 under such a state of apparent excitement appears marvellous. 

 Later in the year the colours slightly change, the back becomes 



