12G 



repeatedly visited one every day for three weeks, and 

 invariably found it guarded. The old fish would exa- 

 mine it on all sides, and then retire for a short time, 

 but soon returned to renew the examination. On several 

 occasions I laid the eggs bare, by removing a portion of 

 the nest ; but when this was discovered, great exertions 

 were made to re-cover them. By the mouth of the fish 

 the edges of the opening were again drawn together, and 

 other portions torn from their attachments and brought 

 over the orifice, till the ova were again hid from view. 

 And as great force was sometimes necessary to effect 

 this, the fish would thrust its snout into the nest as far 

 as the eyes, and then jerk backwards till the object was 

 effected. While thus engaged it would suffer itself to 

 be taken by the hand, but repelled any attack made on 

 the nest, and quitted not its post so long as I remained ; 

 and to those nests that were left dry between tide- 

 marks, the guardian fish always returned with the re- 

 turning tide, nor did they quit the post to any great 

 distance till again carried away by the receding tide." 



It is worthy of note that the newly-hatched young 

 from these nests were so unlike the full-grown Stickle- 

 back, and so like the common smooth Blenny, that Mr. 

 Couch concluded that there had been some error in his 

 observation, and that the nest truly belonged to the 

 latter fish. Further research, however, proved that the 



