542 THE COMMON PERCH. 



Then is the time to see the triumphant little creature in all the glory 

 of his radiant apparel, for with his conquest he assumes the victor's 

 crown ; his back glows with shining green, his sides and head are 

 glorious with gold and scarlet, and his belly is silvery white. ^ It is a 

 little creature, certainly, but even among the brilliant inhabitants of 

 the southern seas a more gorgeously-colored fish can hardly be found. 

 If the conqueror Stickleback could only be enlarged to the size of a 

 full-grown perch or roach, it would excite the greatest admiration. It 

 is curious that the vanquished antagonist loses in brilliance as much 

 as the conqueror has gained ; he sneaks off ignominiously after his 

 defeat, and hides himself, dull and sombre, until the time comes when 

 he too may conquer in fight and proudly wear the gold-and -scarlet 

 insignia of victory. 



These struggles are not only for mastery, but are in so far praise- 

 worthy that they are waged in defence of home and family. 



The Stickleback is one of the very few fish who build houses for their 

 young as a defence against the many foes which are ever lying in wait 

 for the destruction of the eggs or the newly-hatched young. These 

 nests are built of various vegetable substances, fastened together with 

 a kind of slime that exudes from the body of the male. The Fifteen- 

 spined Stickleback, a marine species, also makes a nest, though hardly 

 of so careful a construction. 



The Three-spined Stickleback is very fond of inhabiting the mouths 

 of rivers where they empty themselves into the sea, the brackish water 

 appearing to suit its constitution. It can therefore be easily accli- 

 matized to new conditions, and a specimen that has been taken from an 

 inland stream can soon be brought to inhabit the water of a marine 

 aquarium, though such water is usually, in consequence of evaporation, 

 more salt than that of the sea. 



We now come to the large and important family of the Perches, 

 which comprises many of the handsomest and most valuable fishes. 

 The members of this family are found in all parts of the globe. 



The Common Perch is well known as one of our handsomest river 

 fish, and, on account of its boldness and the voracious manner in which 

 it takes the bait, and the active strength with which it struggles against 

 its captor, is a great favorite with many anglers. Moreover, when 

 captured and placed in an aquarium, it very soon learns to distinguish 

 the hand that feeds it, and will come to the surface and take food from 

 the fingers. It has a fashion of seizing its food with a rather sharp 

 jerk, and then snatches it away with such violence that when it takes 

 the hook it will drag a stout cork-float several inches below the surface, 

 and by the force of its own stroke will mostly hook itself without any 

 exertion on the part of the angler. Bold-biting, however, as is its 

 reputation, there are some seasons of the year when it is almost im- 



