THE INSTINCT AND SENSES OF FISH. 243 



It is a matter of difficulty to decide if fish possess 

 this sense, for although they may take with avidity 

 a natural bait, such as worm or insect, the sense of 

 sight may be sufficient to account for their acumen. 



Animals and fish are supposed to claim a natural 

 food, but were the young not tutored by their seniors 

 it would probably take them some time to discriminate 

 between food wholesome or otherwise; yet fish will 

 readily seize such unusual food as gentles, and it may 

 well be argued that a sense over and above that of 

 sight prompts them so to do. 



The use of salmon roe, we all know, is illegal in the 

 capture of fish ; but many of us have seen baskets of 

 trout, which could not have been taken by any other 

 bait, and some of us have seen fish taken with it in 

 out-of-the-way districts ; and there can be no doubt 

 that fish draw to it from afar, and we cannot but 

 think that they become aw^e of its presence by other 

 means than sense of sight ; these other means may be 

 correctly described as instinct, but we prefer to define 

 them as sense of smell. 



Fish are quick to reject from their mouths articles 

 which they find unsuitable for food ; but a certain space 

 of time elapses before they spit them out, such as would 

 lead to the inference that the object had been examined 

 by the mouth and tongue. 



We have seen fish take *' necked " trout-flies when 

 cast on the water, then expel them under water to a 

 distance of six inches ; and although the hook would 



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