FAMILY " WITH HARD CHEEKS." 81 



with teeth on purpose to cater for it, than they proceed to 

 make preliminary essay upon the smallest fish within reach; 

 these are commonly the Gasterostei } or Sticklebacks, who, 

 observing the gaping foe advance against them, prepare 

 for the encounter by bristling up their spines in instinctive 

 readiness to stick in his throat, instead, as he supposes, of 

 going smoothly down into his stomach. This induces a 

 dreadful choking disease, which we venture to call ( stickle- 

 backitis/ by means whereof many a promising young Jack 

 is cut off ( in cunabulis. 3 " 



I have alluded to the affection exhibited under certain 

 circumstances by this species. The parental instinct in the 

 generality of fish is feeble, perhaps indeed wholly absent ; 

 and the exceptions are therefore the more worthy of ob- 

 servation. Amongst the most remarkable of these may 

 be classed the Sticklebacks, which not only display con- 

 siderable regard and solicitude in the rearing of their 

 progeny, but even build nests for their reception. For 

 the most complete and interesting notice of these we are 

 indebted to the researches of Sir John Richardson ; and 

 his account, which will amply repay perusal, will be found 

 in the third edition of YarrelFs British Fishes *. From 

 this I shall take the liberty of introducing a few extracts, 

 in a somewhat condensed form. 



The Rough-tailed and Smooth-tailed Sticklebacks, then, 

 according to D'Orbigny, usually construct their nests on 

 the soil at the bottom of the paternal ditch or rivulet, 

 * Vol. ii. pp. 75 92. 



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