42 THE AQUAVIVARIUM. 



ISTo sooner is lie fairly free in your Aqua vivarium, 

 than he commences his reign, not always, I must 

 confess, of the mildest sovereignty. The chances 

 are, if you put him with fish of his own size, 

 you will find them all dead in the morning. Sad 

 spectacles ! disembowelled by the use of -our pet's 

 spines upon his neighbours' stomachs their eyes 

 picked out as delicate morsels for his morning's 

 meal. This, therefore, must be a warning to you ; 

 and if you have but one jar, and wish to keep 

 sticklebacks, you will probably not have an oppor- 

 tunity of keeping any other fish, of his own size at 

 least. 



But he will repay you for his disposition. He 

 has all the ways of other fishes and many more 

 besides. Look into your tank ; see, there is one 

 larger than the rest : he is clothed in a coat of 

 mail like a knight of old, and it is resplendent with 

 purple and gold. See how his eyes glisten, and 

 with every movement present a new colour. He 

 is a male fish, the king of your little shoal. He 

 has important offices to perform. Presently, in 

 ' the course of a few days, if you watch him, and are 

 fortunate, you will see this wonderful little fish 

 engaged in the most useful manner in building 

 a nest. He first seizes hold of one little bit of 

 weed, then of another, and carries them all to some 

 safe corner, till at last his nest is built. Having 

 done this, he gently allures his mate to their new- 

 made home. Here she deposits her eggs, and having 

 done this, resigns the care of them to our hero of 

 the purple and gold, who watches over them with 

 an anxiety that no other male in creation but 

 the male stickleback seems to know. He fans 

 and freshens the water with his fins, and at last, 

 when the young are hatched, watches over their 

 attempts at swimming with the greatest anxiety. 



