246 MR. smee's observations. 



guarded it most pertinaciously, allowing nothing to 

 approach. If any of the water- animals chanced to come 

 near, he would instantly pounce upon them, and uncere- 

 moniously shove or tumble them over. If a stick or 

 quill were passed down fi'om the top of the vessel, he 

 struck it fiercely, and with such smartness, that the 

 blow was distinctly felt by the hand. 



The fry were at first so minute and transparent, that 

 they w^ere scarcely perceptible, and it was only by a 

 slight fluttering motion their position could be 

 occasionally discovered; otherwise it was impossible 

 to detect them. They were for a time confined to the 

 meshes of the nest, and its near neighbourhood, but by 

 degrees were allowed greater space ; and the parent fish 

 hollowed out a sort of small basin for them, in which 

 they disported themselves, until they were strong 

 enough to take a wider range. 



In consequence of there being no other fish in the 

 vessel, we did not see the battles and stratagems which 

 are carried on between companions and rival fishes 

 when engaged in similar parental duties. The en- 

 counters on such occasions are said to be fearful and 

 prolonged, and it is not without reason the young nest- 

 ' lings are so carefully guarded, as acts of cannibalism are 

 not unfrequent. 



I strongly advise my readers to repeat for themselves 

 the above interesting observations. 



As regards the nestling of sticklebacks, my late 

 lamented friend Mr. Smee writes, in his admirable 

 book " My Garden " :— 



" Throughout the Wandle there are plenty of stickle- 

 backs of the species called by the learned the half- armed 

 stickleback, or Gasterosteus semiarmitus. They are very 

 pugnacious and amusing creatures. They build a nest, 



