4 1 o 



The National Geographic Magazine 



Three-spined Stickleback 



Male laying the foundation of his nest, which 

 would do credit to a bird. The fish glues 

 together the pieces of which the nest is con- 

 structed with a spider-like thread, which it 

 manufactures. After Coste 



thousand spherical amber-like eggs lo 

 millimeters in diameter. The eggs 

 hatched five days after being laid, and 

 in eighteen days a thousand young fry," 

 about three inches long, left the nest 

 They were then essentially like the adults. 

 Many of the young were secured by Bud- 

 gett immediately after they had left their 

 nest, and "lived well on chopped-up 

 worms." He tried to take some to Eng- 

 land, but every one died as soon as they 

 "got into colder climes." 



The native Africans "approach these 

 nests with great caution, stating that the 

 parent is at this time extremely fierce and 

 has a very formidable bite." 



THE STICKLEBACK 



The stickleback of all fishes probably 

 shows the greatest ingenuity and zeal 

 in the protection of its offspring; but it 

 is the male, and not the female, that 

 exercises parental care ; he it is that 

 builds a nest that would do credit to a 

 bird, and drives or entices the full female 

 to enter into it and deposit her ripe bur- 

 den. When a sufficient supply of eggs 

 has been secured, the male closes the nest 

 and remains in charge till the voung have 





Stickleback Male Rotating in His Nest to make it Tubular for the Female 

 After Coste 



