BRIEF NOTES ON FISHES. 379 



may we not ascribe to them the possession of a so-called 

 " sense of direction " working independently and unerr- 

 ingly, without regard to any features of the surround- 

 ings ? Such a sense, indeed, the sunfish seems to possess. 

 The possession of a sense of direction is also shown by 

 such experiments as the following : I once carefully re- 

 moved a sunfish from its nest, and carried it one thou- 

 sand feet up the stream, when I set it at liberty. Between 

 the nest and the point where I placed the fish there were 

 two abrupt bends in the creek, so that it formed a letter 

 Z between the points mentioned. I hastened back to the 

 nest : but the fish was there before me. I then took a 

 fish from an adjoining nest, and carried it nearly one 

 thousand yards down the stream. In this case there were 

 two bends in the stream, and it was also partially ob- 

 structed by old abandoned flood-gates. I hurried back to 

 the nest, and reached it only three minutes before the 

 fish returned. I have since made many similar experi- 

 ments, and all with essentially the same results. 



When nesting, the fact that fishes are affectionate can 

 be readily proved ; but the experiment is cruel, and I 

 trust will not be tried. It is merely to hook one of the 

 nesting fish, and, when dead or dying, place it in the 

 nest. I tried it once, and will certainly never repeat it. 

 The evidences of grief on the part of the distressed and 

 bewildered widowed fish were truly affecting. 



A few words with reference to this fish as a weather 

 prophet. The old men of the neighborhood frequently 

 speak of them in this connection, and undertake to fore- 

 tell whether the coming summer will be wet or dry, from 

 the fact that their nests are sometimes in water a foot in 

 depth, while at others less than one half this depth cov- 

 ers them. These wise old men of the village sagely 

 shake their heads, when the facts are stated, and remark, 



