ve already mentioned,
there is one which equals the Stickleback in the skill it displays in
constructing a shelter for its spawn. This is the _Gobius niger_ met
on our coasts, especially in the estuaries of rivers. The male
interlaces and weaves the leaves of algae, etc., and when he has
finished his preparations, he goes to seek females, and leads them one
by one to lay in the retreat he has built. Then he remains in the
neighbourhood until the young come out, ready to throw himself
furiously with his spines on any imprudent intruders.

[Illustration: FIG. 26.]

[Illustration: FIG. 27.]

_Dwellings woven with greater art._--Without doubt the class of Birds
furnishes the most expert artisans in the industry of the woven
dwelling. In our own country we may see them seeking every day to
right and left, carrying a morsel of straw, a pinch of moss, a hair
from a horse's tail, or a tuft of wool caught in a bush. They
intermingle these materials, making the framework of the construction
with the coarser pieces, keeping those that are warmer and more
delicate for the interior. These nests, attached to a fork in a branch
or in a shrub, hidden in the depth of a thicket, are little
masterpieces of skill and patience. To describe every form and every
method would fill a volume. But I cannot pass in silence those which
reveal a science sure of itself, and which are not very inferior to
what man can do in this line. The Lithuanian Titmouse (_AEgithalus
pendulinus_), whose works have been well described by Baldamus, lives
in the marshes in the midst of reeds and willows in Poland, Galicia,
and Hungary. Its nest, which resembles none met in our own country, is
always suspended above the water, two or three metres above the
surface, fixed to a willow branch.[95] All individuals do not exhibit
the same skill in fabricating their dwelling; some are more careful
and clever than others who are less experienced. Some also are obliged
by circumstances to hasten their work. It frequently happens that
Magpies spoil or even altogether destroy with blows of their beaks one
of these pretty nests. The unfortunate couple are obliged to
recommence their task, and if this accident happens two or three times
to the same household, it can easily be imagined that, discouraged and
depressed by the advancing season, they hasten to build a shelter
anyhow, only doing what is indispensable, and neglecting perfection.
However this may be, the nests which