On the Habits of the Water-Snail and Stickleback. 273 



XXVI. — Observations on the Natural History of the Water-Snail 

 and Fish kejjt in a confined and limited portion of Water. By 

 Robert Warington^ Esq. 



To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, 



The accompanying observations were thrown together with 

 the intention of laying them before the Members of the Natural 

 History Section of the British Association at their late Meeting 

 in Belfast, but from sudden and unexpected business engage- 

 ments I was prevented from attending, and thus, most unwill- 

 ingly, obliged to forego the pleasure I had anticipated of dis- 

 cussing the details of the subject with so many of our leading 

 practical naturalists as are generally assembled on such occa- 

 sions. My time also was so much occupied as to prevent my 

 copying them, in a readable form, before the Sections closed : 

 should you, however, consider them worthy of a place in your 

 valuable Journal, their insertion will much oblige. 



Yours very truly, 



Robert Warington. 



Apothecaries' Hall, Sept. 10, 1852. 



Mv object in bringing the accompanying observations before 

 the public is to endeavour to direct, more in detail than I have 

 hitherto been able to do, the attention of naturalists, and those 

 who take a delight and pleasure in the study of Nature^s won- 

 derful and glorious works, to a very simple means of easily in- 

 vestigating the habits and oeconomy of all those numerous classes 

 of animal and vegetable life that are capable of being brought 

 within the limited precincts of the small water-cases I have 

 elsewhere described*. And when I state that these observations 

 have been made by one most ignorant on the subject of natui-al 

 history, and a perfect tyro in this field of research, as the details 

 of this communication will fully demonstrate ; when I mention 

 also that they have been made at leisure intervals of very short 

 duration, snatched as an amusement and as opportunities oc- 

 curred from the weightier matters of professional business ; — I 

 hope that it may encourage others to follow in the same most 

 interesting coui-se of investigation, when, aided by a little perse- 

 verance, they may ensure for themselves an abundant reward. 

 The matured naturalist I am sure will agree with me in the ar- 

 gument, that if such observations can be made by those unac- 

 quainted with the subject, and without trouble or inconve- 



* Quarterly Journal of the Chemical Society, vol. iii. p. 52 ; and Garden 

 Companion for January 1852. 



Ann. i^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. x. 18 



I 



