ON FISH. 23 



pect; thus showing the beneficence, wisdom, 

 and power of the Great Creator, and to which I 

 am always glad to call your attention. 



I will only mention the habits of one or two 

 other fish, as they may interest you. The 

 hussar fish of Demerara, and the black goby 

 of the Mediterranean, each makes an artificial 

 and prettily-made nest ; the first of fresh-water 

 plants, and the other of sea-weeds. They pro- 

 tect their spawn and defend their young fry, 

 observing in this way all the instincts of birds 

 that lay eggs. The little sticklebacks of our 

 brooks in England do the same. The little 

 frog fishes have side-bags full of water, and 

 pectoral fins, like feet. They hop about for 

 hours on the sands, left dry by the retreating 

 tide, to prey upon the sand-hoppers, &c. The 

 mud-fish of the river Gambia, in Africa, when 

 the stream falls low, burrows and coils itself up 

 in a deep mud-cellar, leaving a little hole for 

 air, which its swim-bladder deals with like a 

 lung. When the rainy season returns it comes 

 out, and then breathes as fish do. It is a true 

 amphibious creature, that is, it can exist both 

 on land and in the water. 



I have now done, and trust that I have in- 



