THE YELLOW BASS AND OTHER BOYS' FISHES. 415 



over them half an hour at a time and stroked them familiarly 

 without frightening them, suffering them to nibble at my finger 

 harmlessly, and seen them erect their dorsal fins in anger when 

 my hand approached their ova, and have even taken them gen- 

 tly out of the water with my hand; though this cannot be accom- 

 plished by any sudden movement, however dexterous, for 

 instant warning is conveyed to them through their denser 

 element, but only by letting the fingers gradually close about 



them as they are poised over the palm and with the utmost 

 gentleness raising them slowly to the surface. 



"Though stationary, they keep up a constant sculling or 

 waving motion with their fins, which is exceedingly graceful, 

 and expressive of their humble happiness, for unlike ours, the 

 element in which they live is a stream which must be con- 

 tantly resisted. From time to time they nibble at the weeds 

 at the bottom or overhanging their nests, or dart after a fly 

 or worm. The dorsal fin, besides answering the purpose of 

 a keel, with the anal, serves to keep the fish upright, for in 

 shallow water where this is not covered, they fall on their 

 sides. 



"As you stand thus, stooping over the bream in its nest, 

 the edges of the dorsal and caudal fins have a singular dusty 

 golden reflection, and its eyes, which stand out from the head, 

 are transparent and colorless. Seen in its native element, it 

 is a very beautiful and compact fish, perfect in all its parts, 

 and looks like a brilliant coin fresh from the mint. It is a 

 perfect jewel of the river, the green, red, coppery, and 

 golden reflections of its muttled sides being the concentra- 

 tions of such rays as struggle through the floating pads and 

 flowers to the sandy bottom, and in harmony with the sunlit 

 brown and yellow pebbles. Behind its watery shield it 

 dwells, far from many accidents inevitable to human life." 



Dr. Goode quotes from Mr. W. C. Harris: "I confess to 

 a fondness for catching the 'Pumpkin seed' upon the lightest 

 of light fly rods with leader and line of a spider-web consist- 



