156 ASSOCIATION OF ORGANISMS THE WEB OF LIFE 



discretion the better part of valour, and, not in too great a hurry, 

 but with a certain dignity, follows his lady-love, to whom he 

 no doubt describes the tremendous thrashing he has given to 

 her ungallant molester." Lloyd Morgan (in Animal Sketches] 

 gives the following very interesting account of a complete stickle- 

 back love-story, the scene being an aquarium: "I began by 

 putting into one of my glass tanks, in which there grew sufficient 

 healthy weed to ensure the purity of the water, a male Thornie 

 and three females. The male was just beginning to assume the 

 bright colours (blue and crimson and creamy white) of court- 

 ship. But the largest and stoutest of the females bullied him 

 so unmercifully reversing the usual order of things among 

 sticklebacks that in two days he was utterly dejected and crest- 

 fallen, and had completely lost all sign of colour. I then put 

 into the same tank another male. Him, too, the irascible old 

 lady bullied unmercifully, pulling his fins and his tail in the 

 most vulgar fashion, until he leapt out of the water in his agony. 

 I felt that such conduct could not be allowed. It pained me 

 to see my little friend treated worse than 'the Private Secretary', 

 and that by a lady whom he would fain have made his wife. 

 I therefore removed the offending party, and kept her in solitary 

 confinement in a separate tank, introducing in her stead one 

 quieter and less quarrelsome. This was at about ten o'clock 

 in the morning. But I shortly found that there was a new 

 element of difficulty in getting my finned family to dwell to- 

 gether in peace and harmony. After some slight angry skirmish- 

 ing, the two little males began a regular downright battle, using 

 freely the strong spines which form the outer rays of the ventral 

 fins. Never were seen more infuriated little monsters. It was, 

 however, soon evident which was master, for ere long the victor 

 was chasing the vanquished round and round the tank, seizing 

 him at times by the pectoral fin, holding on and shaking him 

 like a young bull-dog, the three females timidly looking on the 

 while. At about three o'clock the victor's angry passions began 

 to subside to some extent. He still had a suspicious mien; but 

 with well-feigned nonchalance he began to carry about some- 

 what aimlessly any little bits of stick or broken pieces of alga 

 he could find, as though he thus intended to proclaim that, now 

 he was master of that tank, he was going to settle down there 

 and build his nest. He was, however, evidently too perturbed 



