OF SELBORNE 227 



LETTER LIV 

 TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES HARRINGTON 



DEAR SIR, 



WHEN I happen to visit a family where gold and silver 

 fishes are kept in a glass bowl, I am always pleased with 

 the occurrence, because it offers me an opportunity of 

 observing the actions and propensities of those beings with 

 whom we can be little acquainted in their natural state. 

 Not long since I spent a fortnight at the house of a friend 

 where there was such a vivary, to which I paid no small 

 attention, taking every occasion to remark what passed 

 within its narrow limits. It was here that I first observed 

 the manner in which fishes die. As soon as the creature 

 sickens, the head sinks lower and lower, and it stands as it 

 were on its head ; till, getting weaker, and losing all poise, 

 the tail turns over, and at last it floats on the surface of the 

 water with its belly uppermost. The reason why fishes, 

 when dead, swim in that manner is very obvious ; because, 

 when the body is no longer balanced by the fins of the 

 belly, the broad muscular back preponderates by its own 

 gravity, and turns the belly uppermost, as lighter from its 

 being a cavity, and because it contains the swimming- 

 bladders, which contribute to render it buoyant. Some that 

 delight in gold and silver fishes have adopted a notion that 

 they need no aliment. True it is that they will subsist for 

 a long time without any apparent food but what they can 

 collect from pure water frequently changed ; yet they 

 must draw some support from animalcula, and other 

 nourishment supplied by the water ; because, though they 

 seem to eat nothing, yet the consequences of eating often 

 drop from them. That they are best pleased with such 

 jejune diet may easily be confuted, since if you toss them 

 crumbs they will seize them with great readiness, not to 

 say greediness : however, bread should be given sparingly, 

 lest, turning sour, it corrupt the water. They will also 



