106 THE STORY OF FISH LIFE. 



mouth, brought back, and gently puffed or jetted 

 into their place again. This was constantly 

 occurring, the other fish being continually on 

 the watch to devour these stragglers, and make 

 a savoury morsel of the lilliputian truants. In- 

 deed, the greater number of the whole brood 

 must have fallen a prey to their voracity, as it 

 was only some three or four that reached a size 

 to place them beyond the power of these de- 

 stroyers. 



" As soon as the young fry could swim strongly 

 the parent fish gradually relinquished his duties, 

 though a constant watch appeared to be still 

 quietly maintained on their motions as they 

 swam about near the surface of the water. . . . 

 It is a curious circumstance that very soon after 

 these young stickle-back were left unmolested by 

 their companions, both the parent fish disap- 

 peared, and I presume have died in some hiding- 

 place among the rock-work; as though their 

 allotted functions, namely the propagation of 

 their species, having been completed, their period 

 of existence must terminate/' 



Those crafty and subtle monsters, the skates, 

 furnish us with a striking instance of parental 

 affection. Thus one of the "devil-fishes' 7 (Dicero- 

 batis) will defend its young with great ferocity. 

 Its capture, at all times attended with danger, 

 is especially perilous when it is accompanying its 

 offspring, at such times they have been known to 

 attack and capsize a boat. 



The spotted goby or polewing (G. minutus), 

 which occurs in the Thames, is a nest-builder. Here, 

 however, an old cockle-shell is made to do duty 



