THE CARP AND THE STICKLEBACK 



bottle trap, although their distrust and swiftness often 

 enable them to escape it. If I take one and examine it 

 closely, I find a small-sized fish, for the largest seldom 

 reach more than three inches in length, oval and regular 

 in shape, and remarkable for the strong pointed spines 

 with which various parts of its body are armed. Under 

 the belly, not far from the head, in the place of the pelvic 

 fins I find two strong movable spines, tiny daggers which 

 I can move by pressing the tip of my finger against the 

 point. These the creature itself can move. On the back, 

 almost opposite, are three other spikes which stand 

 upright, two of them being larger and stronger than the 

 third. With this armament, the tiny fish, in its own 

 small world, plays the part of a bandit always spoiling 

 for a fight. It will go into the hollow of my hand; it 

 hardly weighs anything at all, so small is it, yet if I close 

 my fingers over it, I feel the points of its spikes go 

 through my skin and prick me. It is for this reason 

 that it has gained its name stickleback. Other countries 

 and various districts have given it other names, but 

 always based on this characteristic. Its scientific name, 

 Gasterosteus aculeatus, is inspired by the same idea. 



This armament is not limited to the daggers on the 

 belly and back; it is not confined to these offensive 

 weapons. It also includes a coat of mail made of broad 

 plates arranged in a row, covering both sides. But this 

 defensive armour is not always present; when it does 

 exist it varies in size; sometimes it covers the whole side, 

 sometimes it protects only a part of it. This diversity 

 indicates that, in spite of its appearance, it plays a small 

 part in the creature's life. Usually, the stickleback 

 makes use of its swiftness and its offensive outfit. These 

 are enough to enable it to avoid its enemies, to defend 

 itself against them when necessary, and to pounce upon 

 the prey on which it feeds. Beside a carp it looks like 

 a dwarf beside a giant; yet both, in spite of this differ- 

 ence in size, live together and flourish, big and little 

 alike. Nature protects them both in the same way, 

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