HEARING OF FISHES. 149 



upon the same subject by John Hunter, in which, 

 after saying, " as it is evident that'fishes possess 

 the organ of hearing, it becomes unnecessary to 

 make or relate any experiment made with living 

 fishes which only tends to prove the fact," he 

 mentions the same experiment as that of Mr. 

 Ronalds, tried by himself with an equal degree of 

 caution in all the minutiae, and the result was 

 quite the reverse. The fish were much frightened 

 by the report of his gun ! Ronalds' trout might 

 have heard, though it remained stationary, and 

 although I may remark that in the one case the 

 fish was in running water, and probably not near 

 the bed of the river, and in the other in a still 

 pond and near the mud, I will not further attempt 

 to reconcile the conflicting parties, or say whose 

 opinion is entitled to more respect ! leaving you 

 to judge for yourself. 



Herb. But do you think the mere human 

 voice in conversation can reach fishes ? 



Theoph. Tisvery hard to say, and a very dif- 

 ficult subject for experiment; for if a fish moves 

 he may have seen, and if he stays he may still 

 have heard. I have often seen a huge stone 

 thrown at, almost on, a fish, without his noticing 

 it, and witnessed other occasions on which a pin's 

 head would startle him. It has been implied by 

 anatomists that their hearing is limited to a few 

 tones, and that they have no interest in aerial affairs 



