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- 
garis) 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% 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 
