8 MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 



whether the attitudes of a fish in a tank are the same 

 as those of a fish when swimming free in its native 

 element. When a fish is sufficiently tame the attitudes 

 in the glass tank are exactly the same as those when the 

 fish is free. I am able to make this statement from 

 observing pike, perch and other fish in the observation 

 pond, where rapid photography is not always possible. 



Though the attitudes shown are natural, I would 

 not like the reader to think that this is how a perch or 

 pike appears to a dace in the water. Protected by 

 colour arrangement and markings, which will be de- 

 scribed later, the stealthy approach of the pike is 

 extremely difficult to detect, and to illustrate this I 

 show a photograph of a pike watching a roach, taken 

 through five feet of water in the observation pond. 

 The pike, though not easily seen, is sharp in focus, and 

 every fin ray of the fully extended erect fin on his 

 back can be counted. While under observation this 

 pike followed up the roach, and I was able to take a 

 photograph with the beast coming towards me. 



Can fish remember ? I think the answer is that 

 fish very soon forget an incident, but when that incident 

 is repeated several times it leaves an impression on 

 their brains, which conveys to them a certain meaning. 

 The pike photographed in the pond was caught on a 

 spoon bait at two p.m., and kept in a basket surrounded 

 with wet grass until six p.m. He was then revived under 

 a tap, given a dose of weak whisky and water, and turned 

 into the pond. The pond was full of fish, and at lunch 



