3636 Habits of the Water-snail and Stickleback 



much interesting matter to many microscopists, informs me, in a note 

 dated August 27, 1852, that it is about fourteen years since he first 

 noticed the fact of the stickleback building a nest, guarding the spawn 

 and defending the young ones : no publication, however, of these 

 observations seems to have taken place. Since this period, the facts 

 have been published by M. Coste in France in 1847, and quite lately 

 by Mr. Kinahan.* 



My observations in the miniature ponds commenced in May, 1851, 

 when, having received from a friend at Mitcham several of these little 

 fish, male and female, the latter being full of spawn, they were intro- 

 duced to their new abode. A curious scene followed : the male fish 

 immediately took up certain positions, the strongest apparently having 

 the first choice, which they maintained against all intruders, and a 

 species of border warfare was continually maintained across the pro- 

 scribed boundaries of each, and although at times driven out by a 

 fierce attack from a stronger fish, yet, immediately the battle had 

 ceased, they returned to their previous position, which they defended 

 most vigorously. These battles were at times most desperate, for these 

 puny combatants would fasten tight on each other for several seconds, 

 tumbling over and over, until their strength appeared completely ex- 

 hausted. If there were more fish present than there were positions for, 

 they fared most grievously, being driven altogether into one corner of 

 the pond, and from which they ventured forth only to be driven back 

 again on all sides, where they were continually exposed to the attacks 

 of their companions. 



The day after they had been placed in their new domain, the strong- 

 est of the male fish was observed most busily employed gathering 

 small ligneous fibres from different parts of the pond, and carrying 

 them in its mouth to one particular spot, where he appeared to force 

 them into the sand and gravel with his nose. Being perfectly unac- 

 quainted at the time with the fact of this little creature building a nest, 

 I watched him more attentively. He had selected a spot behind a 

 piece of rock-work, almost hidden from view at the front of the case 

 and towards the room ; but on looking down from the top of the water 

 I could perceive that he had already constructed a small hole as round 

 as a ring, and with a good broad margin to it, formed of the materials 

 he had been so industriously collecting, and on which he appeared to 



* Zoologist, 3526. By far the most circumstantial and minute account of the ni- 

 dification of sticklebacks that I have met with, is from the pen of Mr. It. Q. ("ouch, 

 and published in the ' Zoologist' for 1844. It was translated into French, and, re- 

 translated into English, appeared in several of our periodicals. — E, N. 



