PAIRING, COURTSHIP, AND PARENTAL CARE 303 



The males of many of the Gobies [Gobiidae) also engage in 

 hectic fights, rushing at each other and biting viciously, the 

 victor afterwards spreading his fins and showing oflf his colours 

 to the female. Some of the male Klip-fishes (Clinus) of South 

 Africa seem to fight according to well-defined rules, the pre- 

 liminary position adopted being either side by side or face to 

 face; in the latter case the mouth is wide open and the gill- 

 covers raised, so that the opercular spots look like a pair of eyes. 

 They may engage in several "rounds" with short inter\'als of 

 rest, but finally one of them backs away and leaves the field to 

 his conqueror. The pugnacious habits of one of the Berycoid 



Fig. no. 

 Siamese Fighting-fish {Betta ptignax), X f . 



fishes of Hawaii {Myrispristis murdjan), known to the natives 

 as Uu, are turned to good account by fishermen. They catch 

 a male and suspend it alive by a string in front of the crevices 

 in the lava rocks inhabited by this species, where it remains 

 with spread fins and flashing scales; other males approaching 

 to fight the captive are promptly secured by concealed nets, 

 another decoy is substituted, and the trick repeated. The little 

 Three-spined Stickleback {Gasterosteus aculeatus) is perhaps the 

 most pugnacious of all fishes at breeding times, the combats 

 between rival males not infrequently ending mortally, one of 

 the participants being literally ripped open by the sharp spines 

 of his opponent. According to Dr. Regan, the two rivals 

 make a rush at one another, "dealing violent strokes with 

 their pelvic spines, and then hastily returning to the neighbour- 



