THE STICKLEBACK FATHER
Nobody can truthfully say that the Sticklebacks are not good fathers.There are no other fish fathers who work so hard for their children asthe Sticklebacks do. As to the Stickleback Mothers--well, that isdifferent.
This particular Stickleback Father had lived, ever since he had left thenest, with a little company of his friends in a quiet place near theedge of the pond. Sometimes, when they tired of staying quietly at home,they had made short journeys up a brook that emptied into the pond. Itwas a brook that flowed gently over an even bed, else they would neverhave gone there, for Sticklebacks like quiet waters. When they swam inthis little stream, they met the Brook Trout, who were much larger thanthey, and who were the most important people there.
Now this Stickleback was a year old and knew much more than he did thesummer before. When the alder tassels and pussy willows hung over theedge of the pond in the spring-time, he began to think seriously oflife. He was no longer really young, and the days were past in which hewas contented to just swim and eat and sleep. It was time he shouldbuild a home and raise a family if he wanted to ever be a grandfather.He had a few relatives who were great-grandfathers, and one who was agreat-great-grandfather. That does not often happen, because to be aStickleback Great-great-grandfather, one must be four years old, and fewSticklebacks live to that age.
As he began to think about these things, he left the company of hisfriends and went to live by himself. He chose a place near the edge ofthe pond to be his home; and he brushed the pond-bottom there with histail until he had swept away all the loose sticks and broken shells. Hetold some Pond Snails, who were there, that they must move away becausehe wanted the place. At first they didn't want to go, but when they sawhow fierce he looked, they thought about it again and decided thatperhaps there were other places which would suit them quite aswell--indeed, they might find one that they liked even better. Besides,as one of them said to his brother, they had to remember that in pondsit is always right for the weak people to give up to the strong people.
"It will take us quite a while to move," they said to him, "for you knowwe cannot hurry, but we will begin at once."
All the rest of that day each Snail was lengthening and shortening hisone foot, which was his only way of walking. You can see how slow thatmust be, for a Snail cannot lift his foot from one place and put it downin another, or he would have nothing to stand on while he was liftingit. This was a very hard day for them, yet they were cheerful and madethe best of it.
"Well," said one, as he stopped to rest his foot, "I'm glad we don'thave to build a home when we do find the right place. How I pity peoplewho have to do that!"
"Yes," said his brother. "There are not many so sure of their homes aswe. And what people want of so much room, I can't understand! A Muskrattold me he wanted room to turn around in his house. I don't see what usethere is in turning round, do you?"
"No," answered the other Snail, beginning to walk again. "It is just oneof his silly ideas. My shell is big enough to let me draw in my wholebody, and that is house room enough for any person!"
The Stickleback had not meant to look fierce at the Pond Snails. He haddone so because he couldn't help it. All his fins were bristling withsharp points of bone, and he had extra bone-points sticking out of hisback, besides wearing a great many of his flat bones on the outside. Allhis family had these extra bones, and that was why they were calledSticklebacks. They were a brave family and not afraid of many things,although they were so small. There came a time when the SticklebackFather wanted to look fierce, but that was later. Now he went to work tobuild his nest.
First he made a little hollow in the pond-bottom, and lined it withwatergrass and tiny pieces of roots. Next, he made the side-walls of thesame things, and last of all, the roof. When it was done, he swamcarefully into it and looked around. Under and beside and over him weresoft grasses and roots. At each end was an open doorway. "It is a goodnest," he said, "a very good nest for my first one. Now I must ask someof my friends to lay eggs in it for me."
Before doing this, he went to look at the homes built by his neighbors.After he left the company in the quiet pool, many others did the same,until the only Sticklebacks left there were the dull-colored ones, theegg-layers. The nest-builders had been dull-colored, too, but in thespring-time there came beautiful red and blue markings on their bodies,until now they were very handsome fellows. It is sad to tell, still itis true, that they also became very cross at this time. Perhaps it wasthe work and worry of nest-building that made them so, yet, whatever itwas, every bright-colored Stickleback wanted to fight every otherbright-colored Stickleback. That was how it happened that, when this onewent to look at the nest of an old friend, with whom he had playedever since he was hatched, this same friend called out, "Don't you comenear my nest!"
The visiting Stickleback replied, "I shall if I want to!" Then they swamat each other and flopped and splashed and pushed and jabbed until bothwere very tired and sore, and each was glad to stay by his own home.This was the time when they wanted to look fierce.
THEN THEY SWAM AT EACH OTHER. _Page 39_]
Soon the dull-colored Sticklebacks came swimming past, waving theirtails gracefully, and talking to each other. Now this fine fellow, whohad sent the Snails away and built his nest, who had fought his oldfriend and come home again, swam up to a dull-colored Stickleback, andsaid, "Won't you lay a few eggs in my nest? I'm sure you will find itcomfortable."
She answered, "Why, yes! I wouldn't mind laying a few there." And shetried to look as though she had not expected the invitation. While shewas carefully laying the eggs in the nest, he stood ready to fightanybody who disturbed her. She came out after a while and swam away.Before she went, she said, "Aren't you ashamed to fight so? Wedull-colored ones never fight." She held her fins very stiff as shespoke, because she thought it her duty to scold him. The dull-coloredSticklebacks often did this. They thought that they were a little betterthan the others; so they swam around together and talked about things,and sometimes forgot how hard it was to be the nest-builder and stay athome and work. Then they called upon the bright-colored Sticklebacks,for they really liked them very much, and told them what they should do.That was why this one said, "We dull-colored ones never fight."
"Have you ever been red and blue?" asked the nest-builder.
"N--no," said she. "But I don't see what difference that makes."
"Well, it does make a difference," said he. "When a fellow is red andblue, he can't help fighting. I'll be as good-natured as any of youafter I stop being red and blue."
Of course she could not say anything more after that, so she swam off toher sisters. The bright-colored Stickleback looked at the eggs she hadlaid. They were sticky, like the eggs of all fishes, so that they stuckto the bottom of the nest. He covered them carefully, and after that hewas really a Stickleback Father. It is true that he did not have anyStickleback children to swim around him and open their dear littlemouths at him, but he knew that the eggs would hatch soon, and thatafter he had built a nest and covered the eggs in it, the tinySticklebacks were beginning to grow.
However, he wanted more eggs in his nest, so he watched for anotherdull-colored Stickleback and called her in to help him. He did thisuntil he had almost an hundred eggs there, and all this time he hadfought every bright-colored Stickleback who came near him. He becamevery tired indeed; but he had to fight, you know, because he was red andblue. And he had covered all the eggs and guarded them, else they wouldnever have hatched.
The dull-colored Sticklebacks were also tired. They had been swimmingfrom nest to nest, laying a few eggs in each. Now they went off togetherto a quiet pool and ate everything they could find to eat, and visitedwith each other, and said it was a shame that the bright-coloredSticklebacks had fought so, and told how they thought littleSticklebacks should be brought up.
And now the red and blue markings on the Stickleback Father grew palerand paler, until he did not have to fight at all, and could ca
ll uponhis friends and see how their children were hatching. One fine day, hisfirst child broke the shell, and then another and another, until he hadan hundred beautiful Stickleback babies to feed. He worked hard forthem, and some nights, when he could stop and rest, his fins ached asthough they would drop off. But they never did.
As the Stickleback children grew stronger, they swam off to take care ofthemselves, and he had less to do. When the last had gone, he left theold nest and went to the pool where the dull-colored Sticklebacks were.They told him he was not looking well, and that he hadn't managed thechildren right, and that they thought he tried to do too much.
He was too tired to talk about it, so he just said, "Perhaps," and beganto eat something. Yet, down in his fatherly heart he knew it was worthdoing. He knew, too, that when spring should come once more, he wouldbecome red and blue again, and build another nest, and fight and workand love as he had done before. "There is nothing in the world betterthan working for one's own little Sticklebacks," said he.
Among the Pond People Page 6