RIVER GARDENS; 



paper, above alluded to, by M. Coste, entitled " Sur 

 la Nidification des Epinoches" It is, in fact, these 

 curious details so recently published concerning the 

 habits of a little fish found in every streamlet, 

 which has at length called the attention of icthy- 

 ologists to this interesting subject. 



Among birds, as we well know, the female is the 

 chief architect, the male only assisting in bringing 

 material ; but among fish it would seem that the 

 building of the domestic dwelling is the task of 

 the male. The female, or rather females for the 

 Stickleback is a polygamist do not appear to offer 

 any aid at all, and expect their lords not only to do 

 all the fighting, as previously described, but also all 

 the work ; while the wives remain idle, in a kind of 

 fine-ladyism, which the male Stickleback appears, in 

 his polite devotion to the sex, entirely to approve of. 



At spawning- time, therefore, the males may be 

 observed, one and all, very busy in preparing the 

 nursery, an evidently arduous task to each little 

 architect, who brings all the materials in his 

 mouth, of course in very small quantities at a time, 

 and frequently from very considerable distances. 

 It is very instructive to observe his contrivances for 

 preventing the foundation of his structure from 

 being carried away by the stream, which he effects 



