264 



"This fish was so unsociable, that it would 

 no of her fish to lire in the jar with it, and so auda- 

 cious as to attack whatever I put in, though ten times 

 its own size. One day I put in a small ruif; the ban. 

 stickle instantly assaulted it, and tore off part of its 

 tail, and I am persuaded would have killed it, had I 

 not separated them, 



u The abilities they use to get from place to place, 

 are likewise extraordinary. Though they are scarce 

 two inches long, I have seen them leap out of the 

 water a foot high perpendicularly, and much farther 

 obliquely, when they wanted to get over some obstacle 

 in their way. 



" Nature has furnished them with a kind of breast- 

 plate, to be a defence against outward injury, and 

 with prickles upon their sides and back, which they 

 erect on the least appearance of danger. 



44 I have always observed among the fish I keep 

 in jars, that such as I keep awhile together, con. 

 tract so great an affection for each other, that if they 

 are separated, they grow melancholy and sullen. 

 About Christmas i put two ruffs into a jar, where 

 they lived together till April. I then gave one of 

 them to a friend, the other was so affected, that for 

 three weeks it would eat nothing. Fearing it would 

 pine to death, I sent it to its companion : being put 

 to this, it ate immediately, and presently recovered 

 its former briskness." 



44 In the beginning of September," says the same 

 gentleman, " J procured a small dace, which I kept 

 in a glass jar till the latter end of May following. 

 All this while it ate noticing except the small animal. 

 cules, which happened to be in the water I gave it, 

 once a day in winter, twice or thrice in the spring, 

 as the weather grew warmer. When the water was 

 fresh, it came up to the top about once an hour, to 

 blow out some small bubbles of air. Then putting 

 its nose near the surface, it took in fresh, and retired 

 to the bottom again. But as the water became less 



