TARYING COL.^/RS IN FISHES. 85 



Whether the Nuptial garb of fishes, alluded to by JV^ 

 Agassiz in the following sentence, has any connexioi 

 with the change of food, either as to quality or quan- 

 tity, still remains to be investigated. In the Fourtl 

 Report of the British Association, this distinguishes 

 Naturalist states, — " That it is during the autumn, 

 and the time of the greatest cold in the winter 

 months, that thf tints of the Salmonidse are most 

 brilliant, and the colours become more vivid by the 

 accumulation of great quantities of varied pigments , 

 so that it is almost true, that these fishes bedect 

 themselves in a nuptial garment as do birds." 



The very singular instance before alluded ta 

 as recorded in Loudon s Magazine, evidently, we 

 think, refers to one or other of these categories. 

 The anonymous author there states, that when 

 a number of Sticklebacks are put together \vithiii 

 confined limits, a few more bold than the rest take 

 exclusive possession of a chosen district, and defend 

 it from intruders Avith all the valour of the Game- 

 cock. Occasional combats accordingly take place 

 between rival potentates, which terminate, if not iii 

 the death, at all events, in the complete defeat Oi 

 one of the parties. It is in these circumstances thaf 

 the change of colours is observed. " An interesting 

 change takes place in the conqueror, who, from 

 being a speckled and greenish-looking fish, assumes 

 the most beautiful colours; the belly and lower 

 jaws becoming a deep crimson, and the back some 

 times a cream colour, but generally a fine green 

 %nd the whole appearance full of animation ano 



