'WEDDING FINERY 



bits of dead plants, scraps of leaves and shreds of algae, 

 which he brings back to the chosen spot and lays down 

 carefully, spreading them out like a soft carpet. He places 

 the pieces so that they cross one another in all directions ; 

 he weaves them, after a fashion, and rubs himself against 

 them so that they become stuck together by the sticky 

 fluid which oozes out of his skin, and glued to the under- 

 lying mud. But this bed, however well it may be made, 

 has a tendency to float upwards because it is so light, and 

 if that were to happen all the work would have to be begun 

 over again. To guard against such an occurrence, the 

 stickleback fetches little stones and places them on the 

 leafy carpet, and so prevents it from rising to the surface. 

 The foundation, however, is not yet firm enough ; a second 

 layer is put on the top of it, then a third, and so on until 

 the whole is sufficiently strong. After that, the stickleback 

 pays no further attention to the part in the middle but 

 contents himself with building round the edges; in other 

 words, he makes a kind of circular wall, leaving the central 

 part hollow, like a cup. The outer coats of the nest are 

 woven quite roughly and form a mere tangle, whereas the 

 interior is an object of peculiar care, and is made of the 

 softest algae and the finest mud. The walls rise further and 

 further, not straight, but so that they gradually meet at the 

 top, until at last the nest is finished: a hollow ball the 

 size of your fist, with a nicely rounded hole at one side 

 which serves as an entrance, and just opposite this another 

 opening which is smaller and not so neatly shaped. 



The stickleback, whose colouring was still rather dull a 

 little while ago, is now decked out in the gayest fashion ; 

 his back turns a beautiful emerald-green, his eyes sparkle, 

 while a lovely red tint appears on his cheeks and the under 

 side of his body. Altogether he looks in excellent trim 



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