246 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Names. — Ten-spined stickleback, thus termed due to the usual number of spines 

 in the dorsal fin. Tinker. L ' epinochette, French. 



Habits. — This form is smaller and not so generally distributed as the three- 

 spined species, but appears to be equally irritable. Couch asserts that it will not 

 exist when confined in salt water, however diluted such may be. 



Means of capture. — Similar to those employed for the three-spined stickleback. 



Breeding.* — D'Orbigny considered that this species of stickleback invariably 

 constructed its nest upon aquatic plants or among 1 their roots, likening' that of 

 0. aculeatus to a molehill, and of G. pungitius to a muff, or as observed by 

 Yarrell, to the nest of a wren or a long-tailed tit. On May 1st, 1864, a male of 

 this species was placed by Mr. Ransom (Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1865, xvi, 

 p. 449) in a well-established aquarium of moderate size, and in which, after three 

 days, two ripe females were added. He soon began to build a nest of bits of 

 dirt, dead fibre and growing confervoid filaments, upon a jutting point of rock, 

 among some interlacing branches of Myriophyllum spicahmi; all the time, however, 

 frequently interrupting* his labours to pay his addresses to the females. This was 

 done in most vigorous fashion, he swimming by a series of little jerks near and 

 about the female, even pushing against her with open mouth, but usually not 

 biting. After a little coquetting, she responds and follows him, swimming just 

 above him as he leads the way to the nest. When there the male commences to 

 flirt, which he after a time terminates by pushing his head well into the entrance 

 of the nest, while the female closely follows him, placing herself above him 

 and apparently much excited. As he withdraws she passes into the nest, and 

 after a very brief delay pushes quite through it, during which she deposits her 

 ova. The male now fertilizes the eggs, and drives the female away to a safe 

 distance : then, after patting down the nest, he, being polygamous, proceeds in 

 search of another wife. The nest is built and the ova deposited in about twenty- 

 four hours. The male continues to watch it day and night, and during the light 

 hours he also continually adds to the nest. 



Uses. — Similar to those of the three-spined species. 



Habitat. — Newfoundland common (Saxby, Zool. 1871, p. 2533), throughout 

 Europe, also found in the northern parts of America from Newfoundland to Cape 

 Hatteras. 



In Great Britain and Ireland, this species, although widely distributed and 

 often locally abundant, is not so general as the varieties of G. aculeatus. It is 

 said to have been obtained in Zetland (W. Baikie) : Portpatrick (Thompson). 

 Has been found near Leeds, Doncaster, Ulleskelfe, Thirsk, Slingsby, Redcar, and 

 Urome (Yorkshire Vertebrates) : in ditches in Norfolk near Lynn, but not very 

 common (Lowe) : at Warrington in Lancashire (J. Peers) : Learn near Leamington 

 (Thompson) : Preston Weald-moors, in Shropshire (Houghton) : Battersea fields 

 and Cobham, in Surrey (White) : estuaries of the Thames (Thompson) : Isle of 

 Wight (More) : occasional in Devonshire (Parfitt). 



In Ireland it is rare as compared with the three-spined "form (Thompson) . It 

 has been recorded from Portaferry, county Down : Blackstaff river, near Belfast : 

 La Bergerie, Queen's County : Youghal and Dublin. 



The example, figured life size, is one of the Irish variety, wherein ventral 

 the spines and pubic plate are absent. It was obtained at Edgewortbstown, 

 county of Longford. This species is said to rarely exceed 2 or 2|- inches in 

 length. 



3. Gasterosteus spinachia, Plate LXVIII, fig. 5. 



Aculeatus vel Pungitius marinus longus, Schonev. p. 10, t. iv, f . 3 ; Will. p. 340 ; 

 Ray, p. 145. Gasterosteus, no. 3, Artedi, Genera, p. 52 ; Gronov. Zooph. no. 407. 

 Gentriscus, sp. Klein, Pise. Miss, iv, p. 48, no. 1, t. iv, f. 5. The fifteen- -spined 

 stickleback, Low, Fauna Oread, p. 217 ; Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 263, 

 pi. 1 and (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 356, pi. lxi. 



* On its nidification see Landois, Zool. Gart. 1870, p. 1-10. 



