THE WELFARE OF THE RACE 205 



glutinous spawn in the ditch water. With the coming 

 of spring, sea and river appear to break into life. Sea- 

 shore and lake-bank are fringed by these jelly-like 

 nurseries, which seem to spring from the ground or 

 to solidify from the foam. Rarely does any watcher 

 guard this seed. The tide breaks over it, stirs and 

 quickens the latent life. The fitful spring passes over 

 the marshes, now retarding, now hastening, the pro- 

 gress of their future race. 



Here and there the mother or her mate jealously 

 guard their treasure from the sight and attacks of 

 intruders. The male goby overturns the sea-shell 

 that his mate has covered with her clutch of eggs 

 and tilts it slightly by burying one end in the sand. 

 Stationing himself at the opening he mounts guard, 

 keeping a look-out, and ceaselessly stirring the water 

 with his tail so as to renew the stream of oxygen 

 which the eggs require. At this season his coat is 

 at its brightest, and responds to the colour of his 

 mood. If excited, the blue spots become more intense 

 and the red shades more vivid. At the approach of an 

 intruder he at once darts out, full of fight. So, too, 

 other fish defend their offspring with a spirit and dash 

 that are unlocked for until we learn what devasta- 

 tion of this spring-laying is wrought by storms, rats, 

 fish, and birds. 



Against these destroyers of their broods animals 

 strive to set up defences. Instead of merely fastening 

 their eggs by a slippery jelly, they embed them in a 

 hollow, or even carry them on their own persons. The 



