56 PAIRING OF SALMON. 



guessed at by naturalists, to account for this differ- 

 ence in animals. As to fish in general, from the 

 very nature of the element in which they exist, 

 their habits are concealed from the observation and 

 examination of the philosopher ; and it maybe very 

 difficult to ascertain, not only, whether they pair, 

 but what many other of their natural practices are. 

 We need only recollect the wide and wonderful dis- 

 tinctions between the cetaceous and cartilaginous 

 kinds ; yet is it unknown, I believe, whether any of 

 them pair, and difficult to assign any other than a 

 vague conjecture, whether the fact be so or not. 

 Analogy, as we see, gives us no aid ; it is thought by 

 some naturalists that the whale pairs, but what is this 

 as evidence in matters of fact? there is no proof 

 that they do ; but even should they do it, as nature is 

 so sportive, we can hardly say that the mammalia 

 class of fish are likely to pair. I do not recollect that 

 Scoresby, who gives the most particular and the best 

 authenticated account of the whale, and other ani- 

 mal productions of the north, says that they pair. 

 There are, however, some facts, that we do know, 

 namely, that certain fish copulate like land ani- 

 mals, more humario, — the ray in particular, the 

 male and female having been taken in a state of 

 union, though they are oviparous. We know that 

 all fish of the mammalia class have organs of genera- 

 tion like land animals ; but we also know, that the 

 more immediate object of the present enquiry has 

 no such organ of connection ; their amours have 

 been oftentimes seen from particular situations 5 



