t'n ait. vi. The Vision of Fish. 7:'. 



experienced therein, that do! only oould be detect an artificia] 

 minnow at a glance, but he could tell even the shop it came from .' 

 I am afraid I cannot produce a Mahseer unite up to that, but they 

 are on the way to it. 



My belief is that Mahseer, and other predacious fish, prey 

 rather on aick fish than on others, and for the simple reason that 

 the si.-k and weakly are the more easily captured. The same 

 rule obtains with tigers, jackals, and other beasts of prey, the 

 sick <>r wounded deer falling speedy victims where the hale 

 and stroiir; escape. I remember once fishing a pool with a 

 small fly for Chela, Bards, and such-like. The pool was full of 

 them, so that the Mahseer had no lack of small fish whereon to 

 feed, but I saw no Mahseer feeding till I hooked one of these 

 little fellows on my small trout fly. Immediately a Mahseer 

 came at it, and 1 was in fear and trembling for my little trout 

 rod. My conclusion was that the Mahseer had noticed that the 

 fish I had hooked, and was pulling in, was in some way distressed, 

 and was therefore more easdy capturable. This theory may 

 comfort you in spinning, for a spun fish looks rather like a fish 

 in difficulties, than like a hale and active one. It is also another 

 reason still for Bpinning slowly, for a distressed sick tish moves 

 slowly and wearily, not with vigorous speed like the too quickly 

 spun fish. 



I think a fish's range of vision laterally in tin- water is very 

 limited, and that, however quickly it may see any thing reflected 

 against the light or in the air, it does not see nearly sn far 

 laterally under water. Though clear-sighted, it is, I think, short- 

 sighted under water. It is the consequence, in my opinion. ,,f 

 the density of the element. Try yourself, in a large swimming 

 hath, and you will find yon cannot see very far about you at the 

 bottom. It is true that the short-sightedness of a man under 

 water is not worth much as an argument, to prove short-sighted- 

 ness iu the same position of an animal formed for existence in 

 that element. Still I just throw it in, in conjunction with other 

 facts tending to the conclusion, that, the density of the element 

 as well as the diminution of light, has the same effect on the visual 

 powers of the tish also. On no other theory could I understand 

 how it is that large fish and small fish manage to exist in such 

 close proximity. You sec any number of small fish in one part 



