SEA AND FRESHWATER STICKLEBACKS. 243 



than that of the herring, and can be discerned at a 

 much longer distance. This is on account of there 

 being naturally so much more oil in the sprat than in 

 the herring. 



3rd, Taste. — The taste of the sprat is quite distinct 

 from that of the herring. 



STICKLEBACK. 



Acatithopteri. Sclerogenidce. 



{^Gasterosteus trachuriis.) 



Local names: Banestickle, Bannis Bannistickle, Banstickle, Barce, 

 Barmy, Baiiticle, Bonetickle, Hackle, Harry -banning, Jack 

 Sharpling, Jack SharpnaiU, Minnis Prickleback, Prickle-Jish 

 Pricky, Pricky-hack, Rough-tailed three-spined Stickleback, 

 Bough-tailed Stickleback, Shaftling, Sharpling, Stand, Stan- 

 stickle, Stekelynge, Stickling, Styckelyng, Tanticle, Three- 

 spined Stickleback, Tittle-bat, Tommy-parsy Tiller, Tinker. 

 German : Der Stickling, Stickelstarpe. Danish : Hundstag. 

 Swedish: Stigg Benbuk. Dutch: Stekelbaars. French: 

 UEspinoche. Italian : Spinarello. 



Many anglers will confess that they were first ''entered" 

 to the noble sport by fishing for Sticklebacks, which 

 abound in all the ponds and ditches in the neighbourhood 

 of London. These fish are also ver}'' common in canals, 

 especially in the Eegent's Park Canal. In the summer 

 time, thousands of little boys go out fishing for ''tittlers," 

 their apparatus consisting of a stick, a piece of thread, 

 and a short i)iece of worm tied in the midled without any 

 hook ; if expert, they sometimes pull out two at a time 

 in this way. The fashion is to take them home in 

 pickle-bottles ; and the boys generally sell them, some- 

 times getting as much as sixpence a bottleful. I always 

 encourage these boys, as the little urchins are thus taken 

 out of the London streets, and have a chance of learning 



