The Senses of A nimals. 257 



direction whence it proceeds." I venture to think that 

 further observation and experiment may show that such a 

 sense of direction does in some cases exist. Some years 

 ago I was fishing in Simon's Bay, at the Cape, with a long 

 casting-line. The sea was unusually calm, and the water 

 clear as crystal. Beneath me was a clear patch of granite, 

 two or three yards across, surrounded by tangled seaweed. 

 Evening was coming on, and I was just going to put up 

 my tackle when I saw a long dark fish slowly sail into the 

 open space and take up his position at one side. My line 

 was out, baited, I think, with a piece of cuttle-fish, and I 

 tried to draw it into the clear space, but only succeeded 

 in bringing it to within a foot or so of the side furthest 

 from the fish. There it got hitched in the weed ; but the 

 fish being still undisturbed, I awaited further developments. 

 After two or three minutes the fish slowly turned, crossed 

 the pool, and remained motionless for a few moments ; 

 then he proceeded straight to the bait ; and in a few 

 minutes I had landed a dog-fish between four and five feet 

 long. I did not then know that the dog-fish sought its 

 food mainly or solely by scent (taste) ; but in any case I do 

 not think in this instance he could have seen the bait, 

 hidden as it was amid the seaweed. 



Although I am aware, and have already mentioned, 

 that Mr. Bateson's observations do not support the view 

 that the sense-organs of the lateral line minister to this 

 telsesthetic sense, still I think that further observations 

 and experiments may show that these sense-organs are 

 " olfactory," and that the lateral development may be in 

 relation to the appreciation of the direction in which the 

 food lies. It is, however, a difficult matter to determine, 

 and the few experiments I have made are so far incon- 

 clusive. 



Much has been written concerning the sense of smell in 

 insects. That they possess such a sense few will be dis- 

 posed to doubt. The classical observations of Huber show 

 that bees are affected by the smell of honey, and that the 

 penetrating odour of fresh bee-poison will throw a whole 



