HISTORY OF FISH. 



purpofes, the pedtoral fins ferve, like oars, to put 

 the animal forward : they are placed at fome little 

 diftance behind the opening of the gills ; they are 

 generally large and ftrong, and anfwer the fame pur- 

 pofes to the fifh in the water, as wings do to a bird 

 in the air. With the help of thefe, and by their 

 continued motion, the flying-fifh is Sometimes fecn 

 to rife out of the water, and to fly above an hundred 

 yards ; till, fatigued with its exertions, it is obliged 

 to fink down again. But the tail, which in fome 

 fifhes is flat, and upright in others, feems the grand 

 inftrument of motion : the fins are but fubfervient 

 to it, and give direction to its great impetus, by 

 which the fifh feems to dart forward with fo much 

 velocity. 



The fenfe of touching, which beads and birds 

 have in a fmall degree, the fifh, covered up in its 

 coat of mail, confuting of various fubftances, can 

 have little perception of. The fenfe of fmelling, 

 which in beads is fo exquifite, and among birds is 

 not wholly unknown, feems given to fifties in a very 

 moderate proportion. Of tailing, they feem to 

 make very little diftinftion ; the palate of moft fifh 

 is hard and bony, and confequently incapable of 

 the power of reliihing different fubftances. Hear- 

 ing, in fifhes, is ftill more imperfect, if it be found 

 at all. Seeing, feems to be the fenfe fifhes are pof- 

 feft of in the greateft degree -, and yet even this 

 feems obfcure, if we compare it to that of other 

 animals. 



From all this, it appears how far fifh fall behind 

 terreflrial animals in their fenfations, and confe- 

 quently in their enjoyments. Thus nature feems to 

 have fitted thefe animals with appetites and powers 

 of an inferior kind j and formed them for a fort of 

 pafTive exiftence in the obfcure and heavy elements 

 to which they are configned. To preferve their own 

 exiftence, and to continue it to their pofterity, fill 

 up the whole circle of their puriuits and enjoyments; 



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