WITH NOTES ON THEIK PISH. 117 



interesting and intelligent of its class. It appears to be instinc- 

 tively pngnacious, and, being armed on the back with three sharp 

 spines, which it can raise or depress at pleasure, it is able to 

 protect itself, in no inconsiderable degree, from the attacks of other 

 fish. 



Sticklebacks are extremely tenacious of life, and may be kept in 

 glass tanks or globes with little or no difficulty. "When thus held 

 in captivity, it is often very amusing to watch their proceedings. 

 One of the little tyrants will frequently attempt to appropriate a 

 particular portion of the water for his exclusive use, and when this 

 is the case, woe to the imfortunate intruder that happens to invade 

 his territory. A battle royal is almost certain to ensue, and, not 

 content with the victory, the conqueror will still continue to chase 

 his victim about the tank in the most relentless manner. It is 

 stated by a writer in the ' Magazine of Natural History,'* that he 

 once saw a stickleback, during a battle of this description, which 

 took place in a wooden tub, "absolutely rip his opponent quite 

 open so that he sank to the bottom and died." 



Sticklebacks are abundant almost everywhere, and the Gade is 

 no exception to the general rule. Any of my audience who may 

 incline to test their pugnacious capabilities, by placing a walking- 

 stick in the middle of a small shoal of them, will tind that the 

 little warriors commence almost immediately to charge the stick 

 with such fury that their attacks are distinctly perceptible to the 

 hand. The stickleback is distinguished, among English fishes, by 

 its capacity for nest-building. Those who incline carefully to 

 watch, during the months of April or May, a gravelly reach of the 

 Bulborne or the Gade, can hardly fail to witness this very interesting 

 operation. The tiny fish appear to collect small pieces of stick, 

 wet moss, or weeds, and by inserting these among minute particles 

 of sand and gravel, a nest is at last completed that may frequently 

 be lifted out of the water without a collapse ; it is about the size 

 of a shilling, and the ova are deposited in it through a hole left at 

 the top. 



The Minnow {Leuciscus Phoxinus). — "With the exception of the 

 stickleback, the minnow is the smallest of our English fish, and to 

 this fact it is probably indebted for its name. When in good 

 condition it is extremely handsome, its back and sides generally 

 assuming a dusky olive colour, but when seen in a favourable light 

 appearing to be exquisitely shot with blue, its belly also varying 

 from a brilliant red to yellow, and frequently to a pearly white. 



The minnow is invariably found to put in an appearance not 

 later than the month of March, and continues more or less abun- 

 dant till the approach of winter. During the winter months it is 

 rarely to be met with, and is supposed to betake itself for protection 

 and shelter to the roots of weeds, to the banks of the streams that 

 it frequents, and to other hiding places ; it is easily tamed, and, 

 when kept in a glass globe, will feed readily from the hand. 



* As quoted by Yarrell, ' British Fishes,' vol. i, p. 78. 



