352 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



the lofty clitfs of some of the Ionian IsUmds the Greeks capture the 

 swallow on the wing by casting' Into the air a long line with an artilicial iL 

 tiy. Hofiand missed his salmon in consequence of a swallow seizing the | 

 fly as it was falling toward the pool of water. At times the fish will re- 

 fuse the tempting morsel, though rising to glance at it, and then dart 6 

 away as though the deceit was perceived. It is not only evident that o 

 fish possess an accute sense of smell, but at times they are very partic- 

 ular as to what they eat; and this daintiness of food has been noticed l 

 by very ancient writers. 



We believe that the Salmonidw have the sense of smell very acutely 

 developed, for they have ample nostrils, and their structure, and the full 

 and peculiar arrangement of the olfactory nerves, indicate that they 

 possess this power, even if its existence were not established by r.umer- 

 ous observations. Almost every angler has seen a fish reject a bait that 

 did not suit his taste, even after he had taken hold of it. The salmon 

 not only measures the objects of his pursuit with his eye, but he smells 

 them while pursuing and tastes them when seized. Many times have I 

 noticed the trout on a summer evening champing the luckless fly that 

 had fallen into the water as though it was a delicious morsel. In trolling 

 artificial minnows, whose artistic make almost surpasses nature in 

 beauty of outline and color, I have been vexed to see a salmon darting 

 around it with seeming disdain, and never attempting to seize it. In 

 such cases, the fish must have been influenced by smell ; for the eye 

 could hardly detect the structure of the bait or the concealed hook. 



The white shark has very large nostrils, and smells its prey at a great 

 distance. Throw to a voracious pike a toad, and he will turn from it 

 with very marked loathing. Hang a shiny tench under his nose and he 

 will recoil as quickly' as the sensitive maiden turns from the nauseous 

 smell of the poppy. 



Fish are much affected by external influences, such as inclement 

 weather, &c. " Never angle while the chilly east wind blows," is a 

 world-wide maxim. To illustrate the rapidity with which impressions 

 are transmitted in water, I will give an instance that amused me in 

 boyhood. On throwing a little pebble moistened with spittle into the 

 pool below the dam of Pleasant River, not far from tidewater, I ob- 

 served that tlie lamprey-eels sprang out on land as though the water 

 of the pool was molten lead, but returned again in a few moments and 

 became quiet. Large rocks thrown into the water did not disturb them, 

 but a minute pebble covered with spittle threw them into the wildest 

 agony. Forty years ago the lawyers attending court at Machias fre- 

 quently amused themselves bj^ disturbing in this manner the lamprey- 

 eels as they congregated in the pool below the dam. The human saliva 

 evidently acted as a poison, and its influence was felt instantly in the 

 most distant parts of the pool. There are many other remarkable 

 instances of the susceptibility and the delicate organization of fish. The 

 vendace is said to perish the moment it is touched by the human hand. 



