THE FRESH WATERS 163 



The stickleback's sharp spines and fighting 

 temper protect him from larger enemies, for 

 even a pike hesitates about swallowing so 

 prickly a creature. But his curiosity is often 

 the undoing of him, for he will snap at the 

 most unlikely bait, even when food is abun- 

 dant. Their numbers are kept down by man, 

 because of the damage they do in eating the 

 eggs of the trout. 



THE STORY OF THE EEL 



Although the common eel (Anguilla vul- 

 garls) is not wholly a fresh-water animal, it 

 spends most of its life in this haunt, and this 

 is the best place for discussing its extraor- 

 dinary life-history. 



If we are on the look-out beside any of our 

 larger rivers during April and May, we may 

 have the good fortune to see the " eel-fare," as 

 it is called. Thousands upon thousands of 

 tiny " elvers," about 2 l / 2 inches long, and the 

 thickness of a bone knitting-needle, are mak- 

 ing their way from the sea up the rivers. 

 They keep close to the banks at each side and 

 form an unbroken procession that may take 

 many days to pass a particular spot. They 



