102 THE SPORTING FISH 



try experiments with some paper pellets, when he 

 sailed off in magnificent disgust. This fish must 

 J^aye. weighed at least I5lbs. 



i It* is not to be supposed, however, from these 

 instances, that Carp are the only fish which are 

 capable of being tamed, or are sensible to the in- 

 fluence of external sounds. At Sir J. Bowyer's, 

 near Uxbridge, Mr. Bradley tells us, there is, or 

 was, a pond full of tame Pike, which could be 

 called together at pleasure. Mr. Salter was ac- 

 quainted with a person who for several years kept, 

 in a water-butt, a Perch, which came to the sur- 

 face for its food whenever his owner tapped on the 

 side of the butt. According to ./Elian, the Chad 

 was lured to its destruction by the sound of cas- 

 tanets. Professor Rennie states, that in Germany, 

 this fish is still taken by nets hung with rows of 

 little bells arranged so as to chime in harmony ; 

 and, without going back to the story of Amphion 

 and the Dolphins, or the old Scottish harper, who, 

 according to the ballad, ''harped a fish out o' the 

 sa't water," we may find hundreds of well-authen- 

 ticated anecdotes pointing to the conclusion that at 

 any rate some species of fish have a very consider- 

 able perception of some sorts of external sounds. 



Another peculiarity of the Carp is its power of 

 sustaining life out of water indeed, its "hard- 

 dying " qualities must have come under the notice 

 of most fishermen at some time or other. I have 

 more than once taken a basket of Carp a consi- 



