GENUS GASTEROSTEUS. STICKLEBACKS. 165 



less rapacious. On one occasion I noticed a speci- 

 men engaged in taking its prey from a clump of 

 sea-weed ; in doing which, it assumed every posture 

 between the horizontal and perpendicular, with the 

 head downwards and upwards, thrusting its project- 

 ing snout into the crevices of the stems, and seizing- 

 its prey with a spring. Having taken this fish with 

 a net and transferred it to a vessel of water in com- 

 pany with an Eel of three inches in length, it was 

 not long till the latter was attacked and devoured 

 head foremost; not indeed altogether, for the Eel 

 was too large a morsel, so that the tail remained 

 hanging out of the mouth ; and it was obliged to 

 disgorge the Eel partly digested. It also seized from 

 the surface a moth that fell on the water, but threw 

 up the wings." 



