no THE SPORTING FISH 



amused himself by making small artificial flies,, 

 which he did very neatly. He kept some minnows, 

 and a Tench about 2\ inches long, in a very large 

 wide-mouthed bottle; all the minnows had died 

 except one ; my friend was just finishing a fly as I 

 went into his room, and he held it upon the surface 

 of the water in the bottle as he was often in the 

 habit of doing ; the minnow darted at it so rapidly, 

 that he could not withdraw the fly in time to pre- 

 vent the hook from pricking the minnow ; the little 

 fish descended three-parts of the way down the 

 bottle, poised himself for a moment, with his nose 

 pointing downwards, then swiftly went the re- 

 mainder of the way, rubbed his nose during a few 

 seconds against the side of the Tench, and again 

 swam about as lively as before. We both joined 

 in the opinion that it is really no fable as to the 

 Tench being the ^Esculapius of fish ; for here was 

 an example before our eyes of a fish being wounded, 

 and immediately instinct directing him to seek a 

 remedy." 



Camden in his " Britannica," also alludes to this 

 circumstance. " I have seen," he says, "the bellies 

 of Pikes which have been rent open, have their 

 gaping wounds presently closed by the touch of 

 the Tench, and by his glutinous slime perfectly 

 healed up." 



In fact for the Tench has been literally claimed 

 the royal gift of healing by touch. 



