Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-06-16

All the while he is at work, his mate sails
up and down, encouraging him by her
presence, but taking no part in his toll.
Every now and then ho swms swiftly tow
ard her, and insists on her coming to sec
the nest. She docs so willingly, bending
down and looking at It with silent approx
al.
Sometimes she wandcrs i'm search of food
and gets out of sight. lie does not always
miss her at once, but when he does, you
should be there TO see. lie drops his prec-
ious piece of silky frond, no matter how
carefully he has shaped it; he quits the
nest, and, like one berelt of common sense,
rushes wildly about, as if all his aims in
life were lost. When he finds the unwit-
ting truant he seems to chile her, and with
impctuous haste, drives her back to the
scene of his labors.
Calm and serene herself she cannot share
his frenzyj but she gently gives up her own
will to his, although she secs no reason for
his purturbation. Then he forgets his fears,
forgvcs the cause, and resumes his task.
Now and then he stops work for few
minutes and has little frolic with his mate.
They affect to bite each other and lay their
heads across each others necks, like friend
ly horses in field. They swim, side by
side, in narrow circles; they chase each 9TH
or, rising one above the other in pursuit,
like swallows in the air.
Two days or more pass thus, and at last
the nest is ready, and the eggs are deposit
| cd in it.
Then the careful stickleback makes haste
to cover them. Working more nightly
than ever, he brings frond after frond of
some delicate water plant and spreads over
them. Crossing these as before, he takes
no rest while chink remains through
which can be seen single egg.
lie goes further, and piles ON more leaves,
with so ingenious a show of carelessness,
that no boy or girl would ever suspect that
beneath this little patch of shredded weeds,
there was hidden fish's cradle.
The stickleback : task are not yet ended.
He has other work TO do. Some rude in
truder may NEEDLE with his charge lie
must not leave it,
Accordingly, he sets himself to watch.
| All day he sails up and down, and round
about, feeding scmtily upon such morsels
of food as drift within his beat, never los
ing sight of the nest
All night he hovers above il, even sleep
ing with so much wakefulness as TO he
reused TO vehement action by the slightest
stir in the water. If a strolling crab chanc-
es to sidle by, he rushes headlOng upon it,
and bites madly at its deicnceless eyes. II
| lao, L..
spines, and dashcs iuriously against it.
threatening to rip it up with these double
daggers. lie darts with the speed of light
ming. The rides of his eyes, his cheeks
his sides, glow with vivid scarlet.
No foe dares resist him. but every one
makes haste to quit the field.
For three weeks this faithful sentine
keeps guard. Towards the close his vigil
ance increases. He often draws very neal
the nest, and peers closely. Sometimes he
touches it with his nose, puts down his
| head, as if listening.
Suddenly he acts rs if he had gone mad
lie seizes the loose, outer covering tina
served as Il screen, and scatters the piece
right and left. lie tears open the inner GOV
|
hangs breathless above the nest. What does
he expect?
Presently there issues from the rents
train of 80 to 100 tiny creatures, no bigge
than midges, with iilmy, transparent bod
les, and wide, staring eyes.
The eggs have Matched, and these are TIN
baby sticklebacks. They swim away, anC
| tI,o c,ilotfu work ie Ipup
There is something beautiful in all thi
toll, and watching, and anxiety, and bray
cry, and patience Of the little two-spine'
stickleback.
1t is not for himself it is wholly for 9th
ers, for little ones that are to appear befor
him for a moment, and pass out of hi
sight, to be known no more.
When we see the seli-devotion that th
Maker of us all has taught this humble fish
shall we waste our higher lives in self
pleasing? Let us rather learn from thes
lowly jewellers of the pool, that His work
and His word teach the same lesson: Liv
for others, and not tor yourselves Liut
| .t..