FISH — NEST- BUI LDINGr. 245 
multitude of air-bubbles like little pearls clinging all over bis 
body . 1 
Again, in detailing Mr. Baker’s observations on the 
three-spined stickleback, published in the Philosophical 
Transactions, this author says : — 
It has been remarked that after the deposition of the eggs 
the nest was opened more to the action of the water, and the 
vibratory motion of the body of the male fish, hovering over its 
surface, caused a current of water to be propelled across the 
surface of the ova, which action was repeated almost continu- 
ously. After about ten days the nest was destroyed and the 
materials removed ; and now were seen the minute fry flutter- 
ing upwards here and there, by a movement half swimming, 
half leaping, and then falling rapidly again upon or between 
the clear pebbles of the shingle bottom. This arose from their 
having the remainder of the yelk still attached to their body, 
which, acting as a weight, caused them to sink the moment the 
swimming effort had ceased. Around, across, and in every 
direction the male fish, as the guardian, continually moved. 
Now his labours became more arduous, and his vigilance was 
taxed to the utmost extreme, for the other fish (two tench and 
a gold carp), some twenty times larger than himself, as soon 
as they perceived the young fry in motion, continuously used 
their utmost endeavours to snap them up. The courage of the 
little stickleback was now put to its severest test; but, nothing 
daunted, he drove them all off, seizing their fins and striking 
with all his strength at their heads and at their eyes. His 
care of the young brood when encumbered with the yelk was 
very extraordinary ; and as this was gradually absorbed and 
they gained strength, their attempts to swim carried them to a 
greater distance from the parent fish ; his vigilance, however, 
seemed everywhere, and if they rose by the action of their fins 
above a certain height from the shingle bottom, or flitted beyond 
a given distance from the nest, they were immediately seized in 
his mouth, brought back, and gently puffed or jetted into their 
place again. The same care of the young, bringing them back 
to their nest up till about the sixth day after hatching, has 
been remarked by Dr. Hansom in the ten-spined stickleback 
( G . pungitius ). 1 
The well-known habit of the lophobranchiate fish ? of 
1 IUd. 
