76 COLOURS OF THE STICKLEBACK. 



circle, the stickleback shot at it with such violence 

 that he quite jarred the stick. 



His nose must have suffered terribly. If the stick 

 were moved, another attack would take place, and 

 this would be continued as long as I liked. 



Sometimes a rival male comes by, with all his 

 swords drawn ready for battle, and his colours of red 

 and green flying. Then there is a fight that would 

 require the pen of Homer to describe. These 

 valiant warriors dart at each other ; they bite, they 

 manoeuvre, they strike with their spines, and some- 

 times a well-aimed cut will rip up the body of the 

 adversary, and send him to the bottom, dead. 



When one of the combatants prefers ignominious 

 flight to a glorious death, he is pursued by the victor 

 with relentless fury, and may think himself fortunate 

 if he escapes. 



Then comes a curious result. The conqueror 

 assumes brighter colours and a more insolent de- 

 meanour ; his green is tinged with gold, his scarlet 

 is of a triple dye, and he charges more furiously than 

 ever at intruders, or those whom he is pleased to 

 consider as such. But the vanquished warrior is 

 disgraced ; he retires humbly to some obscure retreat ; 

 he loses his red, and green, and gold uniform, ancl 

 becomes a plain civilian in drab. 



Sometimes I have brought on a battle royal be- 

 tween the guardians of several palaces, by dropping in 

 the midst of them a temptation which they could not 



