26 FOOD OF FISHES. 



and fire his gun. The moment the report was made, 

 the fish seemed universally affected, for they vanished 

 immediately, raising, as it were, a cloud of mud from 

 the bottom. In about five minutes afterwards, they 

 began to appear, and again swam about as before." 



It would lead me into details inconsistent with the 

 conciseness aimed at in this little work, to mention all 

 the erudite discussions to which this subject has given 

 rise, by Dr. Monro, Geoffroi, Comparetti, Scarpa, 

 Weber, De Blainville and others ; and I shall merely 

 hint, that Weber discovered a communication between 

 the ear in fishes and the swim-bladder, the air contained 

 in which is therefore probably affected by sound ; and 

 that De Blainville expresses his astonishment at the 

 magnitude of their nerves of hearing. 



NATURAL FOOD OF FISHES. 



I HAVE already remarked, that the staple food of 

 every sort of fish is living animals of all kinds, together 

 with the eggs or spawn which may be deposited in the 

 water, and which seem to be one of the favourite 

 dainties of fish, a circumstance no doubt, wisely ordered 

 to restrain the excessive multiplication that might, 

 without this check, most readily ensue, while at the 

 same time, the extraordinary fecundity of fishes, may 

 be considered a wise provision, to produce an adequate 

 supply of food, as land insects are so prodigiously mul- 

 tiplied probably for supplying food to birds. As this 

 is undoubtedly the principal supply of food to fishes of 



