56 ANGLERS' EVENINGS. 



reported, however, in books on fish and fishing, that a shoal 

 of mullet when taken in a net will often escape by leaping 

 over the margin into the open sea. It would appear also 

 that this proceeding is not exactly a case of inherited 

 instinct, since it is usually one daring fish (fitted by nature 

 to command) who leads the way. If he succeeds in effecting 

 his escape, the rest avail themselves of the idea and follow 

 like a flock of sheep going over a hurdle. If the net is 

 too high for a leap the fish will endeavour to creep under 

 it; and failing in this attempt he will carefully examine 

 every mesh in search of a defective place. Mr. Couch 

 records that he has seen a grey mullet, after trying all 

 other methods of escape, deliberately retire to the greatest 

 possible distance from the barrier of net, and then dash 

 furiously at the meshes in an endeavour to break them. 

 This fish has also been known to leap, when hooked, from 

 the water, and fall with its full weight on the line, clearly 

 with the object of breaking it. When captured for the 

 Aquarium, mullet were always exceedingly active, and 

 struggled to the last to effect their escape ; but once in 

 their new home they adapted themselves philosophically 

 to its conditions, and became tamer than most other fish, 

 even feeding from the hands of the attendants. 



" The pike," says Ovid again, " taken in the net, 

 though huge and bold, sinks down, crouching in the sand 

 which it has stirred up with its tail. * * * It 

 leaps into the air and, uninjured, with a bound it escapes 

 the stratagem." The cool self-possession of this fish, 

 combined as it is with extreme voracity and remarkable 

 quickness of action, has often seemed to me to indicate 



