392 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



after year, as I know to be the case, in all situations where the 

 Ants' settlements are protected from graminivorous animals.". 



After receiving this account, Mr. Darwin wrote to Dr. Lince- 

 cum asking him whether he thought that the Ants planted seed 

 for the next year's crop, and received the following answer: "I 

 have not the slightest doubt of it ; and my conclusions have not 

 been arrived at from hasty or careless observation, nor from see- 

 ing the Ants do something that looked a little like it, and then 

 guessing the results. I have at all times watched the same ant- 

 cities, during the last twelve years, and I know that what I stated 

 in my former letter is true. I visited the same cities yesterday, 

 and found the crop of ant-rice growing finely, and exhibiting also 

 the signs of high cultivation, and not a blade of any other kind 

 of grass or seed was to be seen within twelve inches of the circu- 

 lar row of ant-rice." 



CHAPTER XIX. 



SUB-AQUATIC NESTS. VERTEBRATES. 



Fishes as Architects. — The Sticklebacks and their general Habits. — The Fresh- 

 water Sticklebacks. — A jealous Proprietor. — Punishment of Trespassers. — 

 Form and Materials of the Nest. — Use of the Nest. — Cannibalistic Propensities. 

 — The Fifteen-spined Stickleback and its Form. — Its curious Nest. — Mr. 

 Couch's description of a Nest in a Rope's End. — Fishes of Guiana. — The Hassar 

 or Hardback, and its place in Zoology. — Nest of the Hassar. — Parental Watch- 

 fulness. — Singular Position of the Nest. — Habits of the Hassar. 



As a rule, Fishes display but little architectural genius, their 

 anatomical construction debarring them from raising any but the 

 simplest edifice. A fish has but one tool, its mouth, and even 

 this instrument is of very limited capacity. Still, although the 

 nest which a fish can make is necessarily of a slight and rude 

 character, there are some members of that class which construct 

 homes which deserve the name. 



The best instances of architecture among the Fishes are those 

 which are produced by the Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus), those 

 well-known little beings whose spiny bodies, brilliant colors, and 

 dashing courage make them such favorites with all who study 

 nature. There are several species of British Sticklebacks, but as 

 the fresh-water species all make their nests in a very similar man- 

 ner, there will be no need of describing each species separately. 



