AND OF STILL WATERS. 75 



mouth that the fisherman draws both fish in 

 together. Somewhat the same fate often over- 

 takes the perch, too, when his greed makes him 

 attempt to devour the formidable sticklebacks. 

 The sharp-set spines of the back and ventral 

 fins of the sticklebacks are driven into the 

 membrane of the mouth of the perch, and cause 

 "such fretting ulcerations as to lead to its 

 destruction," as Mr. Couch remarks. 



The skin of the perch is remarkably thick ; 

 and Linnaeus in his " Lachesis Lapponica," 

 gives the following account of the way by which 

 the Laplanders convert it into glue : 



" The glue used by the Laplanders for joining the two 

 portions of different woods of which their bows are made 

 is prepared from the common perch in the following 

 manner : Some of the largest of this fish being flayed, 

 the skins are first dried, and afterwards soaked in a small 

 quantity of cold water, so that the scales can be rubbed 

 off. Four or five of these skins being wrapped up 

 together in a bladder or in a piece of birch bark, so that 

 no water can get at them, are set on the fire in a pot of 

 water to boil, a stone being laid over the pot to keep in 

 the heat. The skins thus prepared make a very strong 

 glue, insomuch that the articles joined with it will never 

 separate again. A bandage is tied round the bow while 

 making to hold the two parts more firmly together." 



