330 Mr. R. Warington on the Habits of the Stickleback. 



sides black. Sternum oval, narrower at anterior than at pos- 

 terior extremity, ochraceous, with broad black margin. Abdomen 

 elongate, oval, slightly pubescent, pale dull ochraceous, with 

 nu.merous blackish short lines or spots ; on the sides these spots 

 range themselves in longitudinal lines ; on each side of the upper 

 medial line is a broad longitudinal band composed of confluent 

 black spots, approximating to each other towards each extre- 

 mity, where they meet; the spots on the under surface are 

 fewer and more minute ; down the medial line extends a narrow 

 band composed of more distinct spots, some of which are con- 

 fluent. Sexual organs black. Branchial opercula pale yellow. 



I found a single adult female of this large and handsome 

 species at Southport, Lancashire, during the last week of Sep- 

 tember ; it was sunning itself on a gate close to the shore on 

 the south side of the town : it appears to be new to science. The 

 name by which I have designated it will commend itself to all 

 your readers. My esteemed relative and friend Mr. Blackwall 

 has for many years devoted himself to the study of this Order, 

 and the result of his unassisted labours is simply this : — twenty- 

 five years ago I suppose from forty to fifty species were all that 

 were known as recorded indigenous representatives of this Order ; 

 we can now boast of a catalogue comprising two hundred 

 AND FORTY-SEVEN. I rejoicc to find that others are ac- 

 actively following where he has so long led ; for there is little 

 doubt but that this our present list, however in itself creditable 

 to science and honourable to him, will be still further increased. 



XXXI. — Observations on the Habits of the Stickleback (being 

 a continuation of a previous paper). By PlOBERT Waring- 

 ton, Esq. 



During the early part of the last summer I had the good for- 

 tune to observe the whole progress of the various stages in the 

 breeding of the Three-spined Stickleback, Gasterosteus leiurus, 

 which will therefore enable me to complete the notice already 

 published on this subject in the 'Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History ' for October 1853. 



In the account there given, the observations extended jto the 

 completion of the nest by the male fish, and it is my intention 

 in the present communication to carry on the details of the pro- 

 gress from that point, premising that the water was the same 

 which had been employed for the original experiments of 1849, 

 and that the fish contained in the aquarium consisted of three 

 Stickleback, one male and two females, two Tench^ and a Gold- 

 fish. 



