Windows 2000 Performance Guide

Colophon

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The animal on the cover of Windows 2000 Performance Guide is a stickleback fish. Sticklebacks are small, elongated fish that reach a maximum length of about six inches and are characterized by a row of spines on the back and a soft-rayed dorsal fin. They have no scales, but are instead protected by hard armor plates on the sides of their bodies. An extremely common fish, sticklebacks live in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They can live in either fresh or salt water, and some species inhabit both. During the springtime breeding season, the male stickleback becomes bright red in color. Using mucus secretions from his own kidneys as glue, he builds a nest of plants and coaxes a female (or females) to lay her eggs there, following behind her to fertilize them. When the nest is full, the male becomes the sole guardian of the eggs and young, defending the nest from any intruders.

There are about 12 species of stickleback fish. One of the most common is the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which inhabits both fresh and salt water almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. The sea (or 15-spined) stickleback (Spinachia spinachia) is found off the coasts of Europe. Other species include the four-spined, ...