2 
THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM JOURNAL. 
themselves near the shore in the warm sunshine, 
others were busy making their nests. This con¬ 
sisted of the very minutest pieces of straw or 
sticks, the exact color of the ground at the bot¬ 
tom of the water on which they were laid, so 
that it was next to impossible to discover the 
nest unless they saw the fish at work, or observed 
the eggs. The nest is somewhat larger than an 
English shilling and has a top or cover with a 
hole in the centre, about the size of a hazel nut, 
in which are deposited the eggs or spawn. This 
opening is frequently covered or concealed by 
drawing small fragments over it. It was also 
observed that the fish used great force in convey¬ 
ing the material to the nest. When it was about 
an inch from the nest it suddenly darted towards 
the spot and left the tiny fragment in place, after 
which it would devote a half a minute or more 
in adjusting it. One of these nests, when taken 
up, hung together like wool. In other cases, 
however, where the materials used in its con¬ 
struction are more delicate, the nest will not bear 
removal, but when taken from the water falls 
together like a tangled ball of fine .thread. 
It sometimes happens that the Stickleback, 
like the Sparrow and Wren, avails itself of special 
contrivances for aiding it in its work. An in¬ 
stance of this came under the notice of the 
observer above named, and is shown in the ac¬ 
companying illustration. Here a pair of Stickle¬ 
backs are described as having made their nest 
in the loose end of a rope, from which the sep¬ 
arate strands hung out about a yard from the 
surface, over a depth of four or five fathoms, and 
to which materials need only have been brought 
in the mouth of the fish from a distance 
thirty feet. The nest was formed of the usual 
aggregation of the finer sorts of green and red 
sea weed, but these were so matted together in 
the hollow formed by the untwisted strands of 
the rope that the mass constituted an oblong ball 
such as shown in the illustration, and about the 
size of a large egg. In this had been deposited 
the scattered assemblage of spawn, and the whole 
was bound together with a thread of animal sub¬ 
stance which passed through and through in 
various directions, while the rope itself formed an 
outside covering. In the case of the Fifteen- 
spined Stickleback, the eggs, which are very 
large and of an amber color, are not placed 
within the nest but distributed in little pockets 
throughout the mass. 
If the Stickleback displays an unusual skill 
and ingenuity in the construction of its nest, it 
is equally active and zealous in the defense of 
its home and the protection of the treasure it 
was designed to contain. Wood informs us 
that when the Stickleback has fixed upon a spot 
for his nest he seems to consider a certain area 
around as his own special property, and will not 
suffer any other fish to intrude within its limits. 
He will even dash at a fish ten times his size 
and by dint of his fierce onset and bristling 
spines drive away the enemy. If a cane or 
branch be lowered within their domain the 
faithful and brave guardian of his home will 
dash at it with a force that may be felt along its 
whole length. 
Did space and the reader’s patience permit, 
we might devote columns to the stories relating 
to the aggressive character of this fish; its pluck 
when contending against great odds ; its exult¬ 
ant pride when victorious, and its humility 
and shame when vanquished. A single instance 
of one of these mortal combats between two 
Sticklebacks as recorded by an observer will 
suffice to illustrate their characteristic. 
The two antagonists dart at each other with 
spears in rest; snap at each others gills or head 
and retain their grasp with the tenacity of a bull 
dog. They whirl round and round in the wa¬ 
ter; then drop, feint, attack and retreat with 
astonishing rapidity, until one confesses himself 
beaten and makes oft' for shelter-—the conqueror 
snapping at its tail and inflicting a parting bite. 
Now is the time to see the triumphant little 
creature in all the glory of his radiant apparel, 
for with his conquest he assumes the victor’s 
crown ; his back glows with shining green, his 
sides and head are glorious with gold and scar¬ 
let and his belly is silvery white. If it could 
only be enlarged from its natural size of between 
one and five inches in length, according to 
species, to the size of a large perch it would, 
under these conditions, rival in brilliance of 
color the most gorgeously-hued of tropical fish. 
In closing we are prompted to give an in¬ 
stance which will add to the already distin¬ 
guished honors which have been won by this 
worthy member of the finny tribe. We refer to 
its superior intelligence as an observer, and the 
case is peculiar as serving to prove that fish, like 
other animals, can “put this and that together,’’ 
and are possessed of certain reasoning qualities 
or powers allied to reason. 
Several years since Prof, H. D. Bcxler, flic 
present Superintendent of the New York Aquar¬ 
ium, was the fortunate possessor of a number of 
these odd fish which he kept in a small Aquarium 
tank, watching over and feeding them with a 
naturalist’s care and zeal. It at length occurred 
to him to attempt to train his pets, as he had 
done the greater Whales and Seals. For this 
purpose he arranged on a little platform over 
the tank a small silver bell, the cord attached to 
which he lowered into the water. At first he 
would fasten to the lower end of this cord a 
small portion of food or bait. As the Stickle¬ 
backs rushed for this in their mad fashion, the 
result would be a violent ringing of the bell 
above. At this signal the Professor would draw 
up the line and attach more food, until the fish 
learned to connect the ringing of the bell with 
the hastening or renewal of their repast, and 
would thus, of their own accord, and without 
other instructions save those gained by experi¬ 
ence, signal to their benefactor and friend when 
the hour of feeding approached. This instance, 
we need hardly add, is vouched for by Prof. 
Butler, who purposes to continue his observa¬ 
tions on this subject with these and many other 
fish now under his charge. Should he be equal¬ 
ly successful a second time, the fish bell-ringers 
will prove one among the numberless attractions 
now presented to the visitor at the New York 
Aquarium. 
Before dismissing the subject we would add 
that the Guide to the Aquarium, now in course 
of preparation, is designed to furnish such de¬ 
tailed descriptions, illustrated and otherwise, as 
may be needed by those of the visitors who de¬ 
sire to become more fully informed regarding 
the technical peculiarities of the many and cu¬ 
rious species of fish there shown. For this rea¬ 
son we refrain from any more extended refer¬ 
ence to the several species of Stickelbacks, 
which, with but one or two exceptions, are the 
only nest-builders to be found among the deni¬ 
zens of the sea or its tributaries. 
THE PHILOSOPHIC CHICKEN. 
Most strange ! 
Most (juuer,- although most excellent a cl-iango^^H 
Shades of the jirison-house, ye disappear ! 
My fettered thoughts have won a wider range, 
And, like my legs, are free ; 
No longer huddled up so pitiably : 
Free now to prv, and probe, and peep and peer, 
And make these mysteries out. 
Shall a free-thinking chicken live in doubt ? 
For now in doubt undoubtedly I am : 
This problem’s very heavy on my mind, 
And I’m not one to either shirk or sham : 
I won’t be blinded, and I won’t be blind ! 
Now, let me see ; 
first, I would know how I got in there ? 
Then, where was I of yore ? 
Besides, why didn’t I get out before ? 
Bless me ! 
Here are three puzzles (out of many more), 
Enough to give me pip upon the brain 1 
But lei me think again. 
How do 1 know I ever was inside V 
Now I reflect, it is, I do maintain, 
Less than my reason, and beneath my pride 
To think that I could dwell 
In such a paltry, miserable cell 
As that old shell. 
Of course I couldn’t! How could /have lain, 
Body and beak and feathers, legs and wings, 
And my deep heart's sublime imaginings, 
In there ? 
I meet the notion with profound disdain ; 
It’s quite incredible ; since I declare 
(And I’m a chicken that you can’t deceive) 
What I can't understand I won’t believe. 
Where did I come from, t ien ? Ah ! where, indeed ? 
This is a riddle monstrous hard^to read. 
I have it ! Why, of course, 
All things are moulded by some plastic force 
Out of some atoms somewhere up in space, 
Fortuitously concurrent anyhow :— 
There, now! 
That’s plain as is the beak upon my face. 
What's that I hear ? 
My mother cackling at me! Just her way, 
So prejudiced and ignorant, 1 say ; 
So far behind the wisdom of the day ! 
What’s old I can't revere. 
Hark at her : “ You’re a little fool, my dear, 
That’s quite as plain, alack ! 
As is the piece of shell upon your back ! ” 
How bigoted ! upon my back, indeed ! 
I don’t believe it’s there : 
For I can't see it; and I do declare, 
For all her fond deceivin’, 
What I can’t see, 1 never will believe in ! 
Leisure H 
J 
