208 THE LOACH, 



the latter often dropped off midway ; but whether they arrived 

 safe or otherwise, not a minnow could I prevail upon to bite 

 again for some time after he had been previously caught. The 

 loaches were less cautious, and I frequently caught them three or 

 four times over in the same day, till at length they became to 

 understand the proceeding almost as well as the sticklebacks; 

 but it was otherwise with the minnows, who were just as wild 

 after being kept a considerable time, as when they were first put 

 in, and would hide themselves from view whenever we approached 

 them. They were also particularly alarmed at any sudden noise, 

 which neither the loaches or sticklebacks took the slightest 

 notice of. 



In such restricted limits I had also frequent opportunities of 

 observing the habits of the sticklebacks, and particularly remark- 

 ing the pugnacious disposition of the males, and the tenacity with 

 which one individual retained possession of some portion of the tub 

 he was pleased to call his own, fiercely driving away all others who 

 presumed to intrude there. In support of these assertions of 

 right desperate battles frequently occurred ; the conqueror always 

 retaining possession of the disputed territory. These battles most 

 frequently occurred when I transported one of these fish as he was 

 holding fast on the worm from one tub to the other, when a con- 

 test was invariably the result ; the sight of the worm either exciting 

 the cupidity of some or other of these tyrants of the tub, to wrest 

 it from the intruder, or he, having taken leave of his own domain 

 in the old tub, was then compelled to attempt by conquest to 

 acquire a fresh one in the new. 



But it is only the more powerful of the males that are so pug- 

 naciously inclined, the weaker ones giving way, and conducting 

 themselves in a far more peaceable manner ; nor are the latter 

 distinguished by the flaming red colour on the sides, which mark 

 the more mighty of their species ; *and which it is said will dis- 

 appear, if when one of them is overcome by a more powerful 

 opponent, he is unable to dispossess some weaker neighbour; 

 just as the defeated general, who is either dismissed the service 

 for his misconduct, or placed on half pay, is compelled to lay aside 

 his red coat, and wear nothing but plain clothes for the rest 

 of his days. 



I, however, observed that these fish confined their acts of 

 arbitrary tyranny solely to their own species ; the minnows 



