. Short sketches of the wild sports & natural history of the highlands. Hunting; Natural history. LAMPREYS 71 and as large round as a pencil. The two little creatures were most busily and anxiously employed in making little triangular heaps of stones, using for the purpose irregularly-shaped bits of gravel about the size of a large pea. When they wished to move a larger stone, they helped each other in endeavouring to roll it into the desired situation : occasionally they both left off their labours and appeared to rest for a short time, and then to return to the work with fresh vigour. Th
. Short sketches of the wild sports & natural history of the highlands. Hunting; Natural history. LAMPREYS 71 and as large round as a pencil. The two little creatures were most busily and anxiously employed in making little triangular heaps of stones, using for the purpose irregularly-shaped bits of gravel about the size of a large pea. When they wished to move a larger stone, they helped each other in endeavouring to roll it into the desired situation : occasionally they both left off their labours and appeared to rest for a short time, and then to return to the work with fresh vigour. The object of their building I am not sufficiently learned in the natural history of the lamprey to divine; but I conclude that their work had something to do with the placing of their spawn. I had, how- ever, a good opportunity of watching them, as the water was quite clear and shallow, and they were so intent upon what they were at, that they took no notice whatever of me. I had intended to examine the little heaps of stones which they had made, but going from home the next day put it out of my recollection, and I lost the opportunity. It seems, however, so singular a manoeuvre on the part of fish to build up regular little pyramids of gravel, bringing some of the stones from the distance of two feet against the current and rolling them to the place with evident difficulty, that the lampreys must have some good reason which induces them to take this trouble. It is a great pity that the habits of fish and animals living in water are so difficult to observe with any degree of exactness. most of our fresh-water fish, to form the receiving furrows at this important season; but the want is supplied by the sucker-lilce mouth, by which they individually remove each stone. Their power is immense. Stones of a very large size are transported, and a large furrow is soon formed. The P. marinus remains, in a pair, on each spawning-place; and, while there employed, retain themselves affixed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjecthunting, booksubjectnaturalhistory
