104 THE STORY OF FISH LIFE. 



of fresh cool water to pass through and keep the 

 eggs constantly bathed. Next day he persuades 

 her, or a new mate, to repeat this ceremony. 

 This goes on till a large number of eggs have 

 been stored in the nest. Every time the female 

 enters, the male rubs his side against her and 

 passes over the eggs. When the nest is full he 

 mounts guard over the entrance, and stays at his 

 self-imposed sentry-duty for almost a month, 

 defending his treasures with great spirit against 

 all comers. Strange to say, the most dangerous 

 of these assailants are his own mates, his wives, 

 who would greedily devour every egg if they 

 could but get the chance. When the eggs hatch 

 out he watches for some considerable time over 

 the young, never leaving them till they can fend 

 for themselves. It seems that in order to ensure 

 a constant supply of fresh water to the develop- 

 ing eggs, he hovers over the nest driving the 

 water through by means of a fanning motion of 

 the pectoral fins and lashing of the tail. Frank 

 Buckland tells us that in a nest he watched this 

 vigilant little sentinel kept " constant watch over 

 the nest, every now and then shaking up the 

 materials and dragging out the eggs, and then 

 pushing them into their receptacles again, and 

 tucking them up with his snout, arranging the 

 whole to his mind, and again and again adjust- 

 ing it till he was satisfied." 



But the stickle-back by no means relaxes his 

 care on the hatching out of the eggs. On the 

 contrary, his efforts for their protection are now 

 redoubled, and his vigilance is taxed to the ex- 

 treme. How hard the poor little fellow is worked 



