CODS. 257 



to the ledge of rock on which I stood, nothing 

 daunted by my repeated attempts to seize him. 

 The keeper took one of the largest, about the 

 same weight, in her lap, and stroked and patted 

 it, saying, * Poor fellow ! poor fellow ! ' just as if 

 it had been a child, and she opened its mouth, 

 and put in a mussel, which he swallowed with appa- 

 rent ^^^5^0 — at least so I interpreted a wriggle of his 

 tail at that moment — and she then put him back 

 again. I observed several gradations of tameness 

 in the fish ; some were quite tame, and came close 

 up to the ledge on which I was kneeling ; another 

 class kept parading from right to left about two 

 or three yards from me, but they readily partook 

 of some food that was thrown to them : a third 

 kept aloof altogether, and would have nothing at 

 all to do with me ; and others, which I did not 

 see, kept themselves secluded from sight in the 

 nooks and corners at the bottom of the pond, and 

 were, I suppose, the * Johnny Newcomes,' or 

 * Griffins/ of the place. 



*'It is a curious fact that fish when they remain 

 long in this pond always become blind ; and I 

 was informed that this is owing to there not being 

 sufficient shelter for them from the heat and glare 

 of the sun, ov/ing to the shallowness of the water 

 compared to the depth of their usual haunts. 

 Several which I saw in this state are fed entirely 

 by hand, as they are unable to compete in obtain- 

 ing food with those whose sight is unimpaired. 

 Surely some remedy might be found for this. 

 One large and blind fellow called *Jack' is a great 

 pet, and upon the keeper calling his name, he 

 appeared to hear and understand her, for he came 

 forward slowly, and she held a mussel to his 



