28 7^^ BRITISH ANGLER. 



flru(5l their Motion. Some Kinds indeed have 

 no Scales, which ufually generate by Copula- 

 tion, and bring forth their Young alive, and 

 perfedlly formed. 



Befides the Arms of Defence which Nature 

 has given feme Fifh, they have generally a 

 remarkable Cunning in forming their Nefts, 

 for the Prefervation of their Young. Of this 

 there is no Inftance more wonderful than the 

 Tickle-back, one of the fmalleft of Fifh. It 

 is compofed of little Fibres of Roots, fo plac- 

 ed together, as to leave a hollow Tube in the 

 Middle^ for the repofiting of the Spawn. 



As to the Power of Senfation, Fifh fee m to 

 enjoy it as perfedlly as any other Sort of Ani- 

 mals. Their Sight, Tafte, and Smelling, in- 

 deed, are not difputed ; but many, who pre- 

 tend to be curious Obfervers, deny them the 

 Senfe of Hearing. This, however, is an Er- 

 ror, as appears from Experiment : For if you 

 life to feed Fifh in a Pond at any particular 

 Place, and pradife them to fome certain Call, 

 they may be brought to come together at that 

 Call, tho' you keep ever fo much out of Sight. 

 But this is the more likely to fucceed, if you 

 begin the Experiment when they are very 

 young. Whence the contrary Opinion had its 

 Rife I cannot determine *, but the Romans 

 were wifer in the Time of Domitian than to 

 entertain it, as appears from this Epigram 

 o^ Martial up on the Fifh-ponds of that Em- 

 peror. 



Rafb 



