69 
ami voracity has been called the Pike-Perch (page 6t). This fish 
will ofien swallow another fish nearly as big as itself, and the shape 
of the victim may frequently be made out under the distended skin 
of its captor. The general colour of this species is greyish green 
with blotches of a darker tint. 
Freshwater Dog-fish (page 63). These little fish, which, when 
fully grown ate about the size of a big minnow, are natives of 
Southern Europe. There is some superstition attached to them and 
many people consider their eggs poisonous. Curious as it may seem 
these fish are not very distantly related to the common pike whose 
portrait appears as the frontispiece. 
Three-Spincd Stickleback (page 64). This fish, though one 
of our smallest, is the most pugnacious of all the English species. 
Every inhabitant of the pond knows it as a bold fighter, fearlessly 
attacking creatures many times its own size. In the early spring, 
it collects a number of pieces of weed and shapes them into a 
rough nest, which receives the eggs. These are jealously guarded 
until they are hatched, and during this period their fosterer will 
viciously charge any animal which approaches too near the neigh- 
bourhood of its treasures. Parental solicitude is rather unusual 
among fishes, but the stickleback is remarkable for the care it takes 
of its defenceless young. As its name implies it has three 
spikes on the back, besides two at the sides. These weapons are 
used in the often mortal combats which are always taking place 
among these fish. Sticklebacks are found in almost every piece of 
permanent water in the country, and are unceremoniously captured 
with a worm and a piece of cotton and called 11 Tiddlers.'' 
