LAMPREYS 



71 



and as large round as a pencil. The two little creatures were 

 most busily and anxiously employed in making little triangular 

 heaps of stones, using for the purpose irregularly-shaped bits of 

 gravel about the size of a large pea. When they wished to 

 move a larger stone, they helped each other in endeavouring to 

 roll it into the desired situation : occasionally they both left off 

 their labours and appeared to rest for a short time, and then to 

 return to the work with fresh vigour. The object of their 

 building I am not sufficiently learned in the natural history of 

 the lamprey to divine ; but I conclude that their work had 

 something to do with the placing of their spawn. I had, how- 

 ever, a good opportunity of watching them, as the water was 

 quite clear and shallow, and they were so intent upon what 

 they were at, that they took no notice whatever of me. I had 

 intended to examine the little heaps of stones which they had 

 made, but going from home the next day put it out of my 

 recollection, and I lost the opportunity. It seems, however, so 

 singular a manoeuvre on the part of fish to build up regular 

 little pyramids of gravel, bringing some of the stones from the 

 distance of two feet against the current and rolling them to the 

 place with evident difficulty, that the lampreys must have some 

 good reason which induces them to take this trouble. It is a 

 great pity that the habits of fish and animals living in water 

 are so difficult to observe with any degree of exactness. 



most of our fresh-water fish, to form the receiving furrows at this important season ; but 

 the want is supplied by the sucker-lilce mouth, by which they individually remove each 

 stone. Their power is immense. Stones of a very large size are transported, and a large 

 furrow is soon formed. The P. marinus remains, in a pair, on each spawning-place ; 

 and, while there employed, retain themselves affixed by the mouth to a large stone " 

 (History of British Fishes, i. p. 36). 



PjVPIDS ON THE FINDHORN 



