SEEN WITH THE EYE OF A FISH 27 



the amount of light reflected by the back, and so the 

 whole fish is of a uniform shade, be that shade light or 

 dark. 



The foregoing remarks on concealment refer only to 

 fish when seen from somewhere about the same level 

 in the water. When a fish is observed from above, his 

 dark back makes him difficult to detect against the dark 

 bottom, and, as will be seen later, should the bottom 

 against which he is seen vary, the shade of his back will 

 also vary to suit his surroundings. 



The only position in which a fish is conspicuous is 

 when seen from below, for then he appears silhouetted 

 against the light of the sky. 



I show a photograph of a shoal of young rudd seen 

 from below and outlined against the surface of the 

 water. This is how they would appear to a pike patiently 

 waiting on the bottom and watching for his prey. The 

 rudd are seen to be wheeling round to the right. The 

 three lowest fish, which have already commenced the 

 wheeling movement by slightly turning on their left 

 sides, reflect the dark water below them, and are seen 

 as silhouettes against the sky. The right sides of the 

 fish above them are catching the light, and appear to 

 be living bars of silver. It will be noticed that the lead- 

 ing rudd on the top line is again coming on to a level 

 keel, and in consequence reflects less light. 



When walking along the river bank, or standing by 

 the side of a pond, where small fish abound, many of us 

 have, no doubt, seen a certain spot in the water which 



