ZOOLOGY. 389 



OX THE HABITS OF FISHES. 



At a recent meeting; of the Boston Society of Natural History, Capt. A. 

 E. Atwood, of Provincctown, Mass., an old and experienced professional 

 fisherman, and also a distinguished investigator in science, submitted to the 

 Society some interesting facts respecting fishes and their habits, the result 

 of his personal observations. 



Ho first remarked upon the senses of taste, smell, sight, and touch. It 

 has been said by vminent ichthyologists that taste and smell arc very imper- 

 fectly developed in fishes ; but this is not the fact. Many fish are very par- 

 ticular i:i the choice of food ; others, such as the mackerel and blue-fish, and 

 mid-water and top-water fish generally, seem to be governed by sight in their 

 selection of food. He had often seen mackerel, when they were abundant 

 around a vessel, take all the bait that was thrown overboard, but at the same 

 time carefully avoid the baited hook. He had also noticed that tobacco 

 thrown overboard was seized by mackerel but immediately rejected, showing 

 as he thought a sense of taste. It is to be presumed, however, that taste 

 must be imperfectly developed in animals which have a tongue more or less 

 cartilaginous, and covered with recurved teeth ; being obliged unceasingly 

 to open and close the jaws for the purpose of respiration, they cannot 

 long retain food in the mouth, but are obliged to swallow it without masti- 

 cation. 



The sense of smell seems to be well developed in some fishes. For in- 

 stance, the ground swimmers generally have a choice as to their food. Hali- 

 but and cod are attracted a great distance with certain kinds of bait. Her- 

 ring, when fresh and in good condition, will be very readily taken by cod, 

 but when it has become stale from long keeping, it will be rejected. Crus- 

 taceans, also, as lobsters and crabs, are attracted by certain bait, which leaves 

 no doubt that they likewise possess some sense of smell. Although the cod 

 seems to swallow almost anything that comes in his way, even stones, wood, 

 and fragments of nearly everything thrown overboard, Mr. Atwood had 

 never seen an univalve mollusk in its stomach. The bivalve shell is found, 

 and the bank clam is very common in the stomach, the shells being placed 

 within each other in the most compact manner, when there are several of 

 them in that organ. 



In some other ground swimmers, both bivalve and univalve mollusks are 

 found. The haddock, ling, catfish, and one species of flounder are great 

 shell-caters, and very frequently undcscribcd species of mollusca are taken 

 in their stomachs. 



The cod lives mostly upon live fish. It is very greedy, and even when 

 distended with food, it will bite briskly at the hook. It is frequently taken 

 with a full grown mackerel partly in its stomach and partly in its mouth, 

 with the tail still projecting. At other times, when the alimentary sack is 

 empty, it appears to have no desire to partake of food. When kept alive in. 

 the holds of vessels, no other nourishment is given the cod than the minute 

 animalcules contained in the water. A very curious fact Mr. Atwood stated 

 that he had observed, the cod often swallows alive the tant or sand-eel 



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