110 NESTS OF STICKLEBACK. [PART I. 
the hinges fitting into each other crosswise. You 
then give them a twist, when the weaker, as is the 
way of the world, gives way to the stronger, and 
his delicate, yellow, hooked form, “the soul of his 
beauty and love lies bare,” exposed to your tender 
mercies. Though I dare say many of the Flat-fish 
were not very large, yet some of them were really 
of a very respectable size, being nearly as large 
as soup-plates: the Eels were not remarkable for 
their proportions. However the whole made up 
a basket of fish which I was uncommonly proud of, 
and, I think, contributed a little to propitiate the 
authorities, from whom, as it was, I got a very 
decided “wigging” for my audacious conduct in 
making my appearance some three hours after I 
ought to have been at my lessons. 
IT used, on these occasions, to notice with much 
interest the nests of the Stickleback, which were 
far from uncommon in the pools where we found 
our Flat-fish. They were almost invariably form- 
ed by oyster, or other flat shells, the large ends 
of which were slightly raised above the sand, and 
presented generally so uniformly similar an ap- 
pearance, that I scarcely ever failed to detect one 
of them among a number of ordinary shells in the 
vicinity, my suspicions being very frequently con- 
