xvi THORNIES AND TINKERS. 225 



pained me to see my little friend treated worse than " the 

 Private Secretary," and that by a lady whom he would 

 fain have made his wife. I therefore removed the 

 offending party, and kept her in solitary confinement in 

 a separate tank, introducing in her stead one quieter and 

 less quarrelsome. This was at about ten o'clock in the 

 morning. But I shortly found that there was a new 

 element of difficulty in getting my finned family to dwell 

 together in peace and harmony. After some slight angry 

 skirmishing, the two little males began a regular downright 

 battle, using freely the strong spines which form the outer 

 rays of the ventral fins. Never were seen more infuriated 

 little monsters. It was, however, soon evident which was 

 master, for ere long the victor was chasing the vanquished 

 round and round the tank, seizing him at times by the 

 pectoral fin, holding on and shaking him like a young 

 bull-dog, the three females timidly looking on the while. 

 At about three o'clock the victor's angry passions began to 

 subside to some extent. He still had a suspicious mien ; 

 but with well-feigned nonchalance he began to carry about 

 somewhat aimlessly any little bits of stick or broken pieces 

 of alga he could find, as though he thus intended to 

 proclaim that now he was master of that tank, he was 

 going to settle down there and build his nest. He was, 

 however, evidently too perturbed in his mind, to do any 

 serious work, for he continually left off to go and give the 

 other fellow an additional bit of a drubbing ; so that at five 

 o'clock I took pity on the dejected little fish, and removed 

 him to another tank. 



All next day the little victor, who had begun to put on 

 his nuptial attire of blue and red and creamy white, was 

 busily occupied in building his nest. The floor of his 

 tank was of fine gravel, and I had introduced a number 

 of pieces of horsehair, one or two inches long, which I 



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