THREE-SPINED STICKLEBACK. 
657 
which the heads of the fish are turned, one of the two 
fishermen keeps the boat still by means of a stake, 
which is thrust into the bottom, while his companion 
scoops the fish out of the water into the boat with a 
tine hand-net (tig. 165). In this way several boat-loads 
may be taken in a night. In December, 1887 a cor- 
respondent writes from the island-belt of Ostergothland : 
“'fhe violent storms of this autumn have driven into 1 
our creeks and bays a multitude of “prigg" or spigg 
(Sticklebacks), for which a fishery has now been carried 
on for some time. The Sticklebacks must have fed extra- 
ordinarily well this year, for they are so fat that 2 l / 3 
gallons of oil may easily be extracted from a barrel of ; 
fish. The owners of the stretches of shore where the 
Sticklebacks swim in shoals, esteem themselves especial- 
ly fortunate, for the Stickleback-fishery takes the palm 
of all the fisheries among our islands. On the strip of 
approaches them, they generally remain quite still at 
first for a few moments, apparently unconcerned; but 
suddenly a fish starts up, casts itself to one side, and 
joins some comrade disturbed in the same manner, or 
takes its place in an army already formed and advanc- 
ing in the immediate neighbourhood, an army which 
like a long, moving Avail roves along the bottom, at 
first, as a rule, in a circle round the light. Gradually 
the advancing Avail increases in height, length, and 
breadth, Avhile it circles hither and thither, as if to col- 
lect more and more stragglers, in curves of greater or 
less extent, until at last, Avhen the army appears to be 
sufficiently strong, it suddenly dashes up and assembles 
beneath the light. Here the crush that noAV folloAvs is 
tremendous, and the movements of the fish culminate 
in a strange confusion, exactly as though they intended 
Avith their immense numbers to overpoAver and vanquish 
shore belonging to a small crofter, for example, the value 
of the catch has proved to be 600 croAvns (Tod), and 
on the coast-line of a farm 2,000 croAvns ( £ 1 10). The 
shoals press on Avithout a pause to their destination, so 
that the fisherman may keep seining the Avhole day at 
the same place, and the catch in spite of this be quite 
as great in the last draught as it Avas in the first".” 
In his annual report for 1869 Baron G. C. Ceder- 
strom, the pisciculturist, describes the singular behavi- 
our of the Sticklebacks during this fishery as folloAvs: 
“In autumn the Sticklebacks generally repair toAvards 
evening to the shalloAv Avater near the shores, Avhere they 
keep still, resting on the bottom as though the spinous 
rays of the ventral fins hoav served as feet. In the 
morning they again return to someAvhat deeper water. 
It is highly interesting to Avatch the effect of the torch- 
light on them, Avhile they are at rest. When the light 
° See the Dagens Nyheter for the 15th 
" Qvod nomen “paullo urbanius” 
c So called because it thrives in 
the fire. In spite of the hand-nets hoav plied, they 
still rush on, undaunted as before. When their num- 
bers are so feAv that the fisherman does not think it 
worth Avhile to use the net there any longer, he moves 
to another spot between 50 and 200 yards off, or some- 
times even nearer his former station; and here the same 
occurrences are repeated.' 
The Stickleback bears different names in different 
parts of SAveden. On account of its spinous fin-rays it 
is called pigg , spigg , and stagg , in Scania hornstagg, in 
the eastern archipelago skot spigg \ horntagg, and liornfisk. 
On account of its bright and tin-like colour it is knoAvn 
in Avinter as tennfisk , tennfisk med spjut (Speared Tinfish) 
etc. In Gothland, according to Lindstrom, it is coupled 
with the following species under the name of baingyl 
or bainkyl 0 . 
(Ekstrom, Smitt.) 
of December, 1887. 
quam vulgare Skitspigg : Retzius. 
small collections of water ( bain = bone, gyl — pool), Tr. 
