TINKER. 
177 
Gasterosteus having nine spines on the back, and coloured 
red about the lower jaw, cheeks, gill-cover, and base of the 
pectoral. I have to regret that my ignorance of the Swedish 
language prevents my understanding a single word of the 
description, but the plates in this work are the most scrupu- 
lously accurate of any natural history representations I have 
yet seen, and therefore I ttike the evidence as perfectly 
conclusive, that the G, pungitkes, or ‘Sma Spigg’ of Sweden, 
is a fish the male of which assumes a red breast ^ in the 
breeding season. There is no doubt that the G. pungihus, of 
Linna3us, Cuvier, and of the ‘Fishes of Scandinavia, is one 
and the same fish. Well then, we arrive at this conclusion, 
that there is on tlie continent of Europe a fresh- water Gas- 
terosteus, which has constantly nine dorsal spines, (but Nilsson 
assigns it ten,) which has keeled scales on the sides of its 
tail, and the male of which, in its nuptial livery, is red about 
the gills and breast, like the familiar G. aculeatus. 
“Now for the contrast: we have in the ditches round London 
myriads of a very minute fresh-water fish, known to every boy 
who goes a stilling by the name of Tinker; this fish has nine 
spines on the back, a jierfcctly smooth tail, and the male in 
nuptial livery is of the most intense velvety black, never by 
any chance exhibiting the slightest tinge of red. iurning 
again to Cuvier I find appended to the description of G. 
pungitius the following note, (translated:)— There is also in 
our streams a species nearly akin, (G. Imvis, Cuvier,) which 
is without this arming: and in the subsequently published 
“Natural History of Fishes,” by Cuvier and Valenciennes, (v. 
iv,) this smooth-tailed species stands as G. pungitius, the G. 
pungitius of the animal kingdom being omitted altogether. 
“Mr. Yarrell has given two figures of a G. pungitius in the 
first and second editions of liis admirable history ; neither of 
the cuts gives an exact idea of our familiar little riiikei, but 
that in the first'edition comes the nearest. The description in 
both editions is the same, and is comprised in a very few 
words. The colour is described as a yellowish or olive green 
on the back; sides and belly silvery white, with minute specks 
of black; fins pale yellowish white.” 
Mr Newman then goes on to describe the fish as found 
near London. The separate spines are nine in number, and 
