THE ROUGH-TAILED STICKLEBACK. 65 



the most common, and the smallest, is the 

 rough-tailed stickleback ((?. trachurus.) It 

 seldom exceeds two inches, or two inches and a 

 half in length, and abounds in all oiu* ponds 

 and brooks. A writer in the Magazine of 

 Natural History gives the following description 

 of its manners in captivity, in a tub or wooden 

 vessel : " When a few are first turned in, they 

 swim about in a shoal, apparently exploring 

 their new habitation. Suddenly one will take 

 possession of a particular corner of the tub, or, 

 as will sometimes happen, of the bottom, and 

 will instantly commence an attack on his com- 

 panions. If any one of them ventures to oppose 

 his sway, a regular and most furious battle en- 

 sues ; the two combatants swim round and round 

 each other with the greatest rapidity, biting and 

 endeavouring to pierce each other with their 

 spines, which on these occasions are projected. 

 I have witnessed a battle of this sort which 

 lasted several minutes, before either would give 

 way ; and when one does submit, imagination 

 can hardly conceive the vindictive fury of the 

 conqueror, who, in the most jjersevering and 

 unrelenting way, chases his rival from one part 

 of the tub to another, initil fairly exhausted 

 with fatigue. They also use their spines with 

 such fatal effect, that, incredible as it may 



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