THE WILD MOTHER 217 



ing the sacks away from every one I found. Great 

 differences appeared among them, the majority 

 scurrying off with no other purpose than their 

 own safety, one of them dropping the sack of its 

 own accord, some of them showing a decided 

 reluctance to leave it, a few of them a disposi- 

 tion to fight, but none of them the fierce consum- 

 ing fire of the one that lost her leg. 



It seems scarcely possible that in the same 

 family and among the same species so great 

 variation of instinct should exist; and no less re- 

 markable that in so humble a form as the spider 

 should be found, even occasionally, the fully de- 

 veloped mother, as against the mere parent, espe- 

 cially when among the fishes, higher forms and 

 far removed from these invertebrate arachnids, we 

 find the part of the mother (not the function of 

 maternity) being largely assumed by the males. 



It is the male stickleback that builds the nest ; 

 then goes out and drives the female in to lay 

 her eggs ; then straightway drives her out to pre- 

 vent her eating them ; then puts himself on guard 

 to protect them from their other enemies, until 

 the young shall hatch and be able to swim away 

 by themselves. 



