The Unintelligence of Fishes 313 



Silvianus, and many more refer to the intelligence of fishes, 

 and that so many live despite a life of flight amid a thousand 

 dangers suggests intelligence or perhaps only the good luck 

 of anglers. For my own part I have never observed intelli- 

 gence in fishes to a marked degree, though there are tales 

 and stories without number which are supposed to prove 

 that some fishes possess marvelous intelligence. I was told 

 by a venerable and truthful angler (a rare combination by 

 the way, Dr. Johnson might have said), that the original of 

 the following story was based upon the supposed erudition 

 of a fish. A proud father went to the pastor of a small 

 village and told an extraordinary story of his boy: how he 

 called the fishes of a certain pool to the edge as he would 

 a dog, and as he played upon a reed the fishes stood upon 

 their tales and danced in perfect time to the music. " Now, 

 James," said the proud parent, " how do you explain that ? " 



''Well, if you want the truth," replied the man of God, 

 " I should say the boy lied." 



There is much cold and deliberate philosophy in this reve- 

 lation, as some men lie from habit, others for the sake of 

 lying, while many relate a story so many times that it be- 

 comes to them the truth, and they thoroughly believe it. 



Speaking of prevaricating, it is rarely that the fisherman 

 or angler will acknowledge that he is drawing the long bow 

 as all anglers really believe the stories they tell, but occa- 

 sionally a good man and true goes down, and so old Dan 

 Costello of Puente, about two weeks before the legal trout 

 season in Los Angeles County opened, was sitting in the 

 breeze over the raging Rio Honda, holding a rod. As he 

 sat there along came a man, a stranger, and the two fell into 

 conversation. 



"How's the fishin'?" asked the stranger. 



" Great," replied Dan. " Yesterday I caught the limit 

 for myself and my twin sister, with a fly, too, an' it ain't 

 fly-time for a month." 



" Perhaps you don't know me," said the stranger, throw- 



