Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/77

RIVER LAMPREY of a little pit hollowed out of the bed of the river. Both sexes help in its construction, and by the aid of their suckers these industrious builders fasten upon and remove stones both up and down stream. When the female has deposited her eggs in the nest, they are covered with a sticky secretion which fastens them

together, and in addition, stones are removed from above the receptacle so that sand is carried by the flow of the water towards the abode, and some of this settles upon and helps to more securely cover the eggs, the lower part having been banked up with stones previously removed. After the young have passed through their

various stages, some descend to the sea, but in some rivers, and in my favourite Scottish Loch, Loch Lomond, many never leave its precious shores. I could wish that I myself was similarly favoured. They thus number among them migratory individuals and permanent residents. In addition to attaching themselves to, and feeding upon, the bodies of other fishes. Lampreys are 61