86 Spinning for Mahseer. CHAP. v. 



other animals. They all seem to need, to have, and to use, the power 

 of conversing, whether by articulate sounds, or by what Dr. W. Lauder 

 Lindsay calls " non-vocal language." 



One more thought occurs to me. I will not put it among the 

 indications of language, because I am not sure that it fairly is one, 

 though it may be. Many anglers will have noticed that in playing one 

 fish it is not infrequently followed about through all its struggles, by 

 its pair fish, in the case of the marral, or by a crowd of fishes as with 

 the Mahseer. Why is this ? Is it merely that the others are curious ? 

 If so, what is it that they are curious about ? Is it about the strange 

 demeanour of the played fish ? They follow it very closely. Or can it 

 be that the hooked fish has expressed astonishment or fear, or has 

 asked for aid ? Do they want to ask him what is the matter ? 



This brings me to another sense, the sense of smell in fishes, in 

 connection with the immediate subject of this chapter. 



It was out of the question of the size of the bait to be used, that this 

 discussion of the intelligence and communicative power of fish grew ; 

 and the next question is whether it is advisable to preserve bait in any 

 way, against the eventuality of not being able to procure it fresh when 

 wanted. It is obvious it will not do to let it take care of itself, for it 

 will very soon get so rotten as not to stay on a hook five minutes, 

 besides being offensive; consequently bait is commonly salted in 

 England and thus kept on sale. Some fishermen have objected to the 

 salt on the ground of its injuring the hook, and prefer fish preserved in 

 spirits. I, however, have an objection to bait preserved in spirits, and 

 I base it on the strong sense of smell known to exist in fishes, in some 

 more than in others ; a sense considered to be very perfect, and second 

 only in power to the organ of sight in fishes generally, while in some, 

 notably Wallago attu^ the sense of smell must rank before sight. A bait 

 preserved in spirits of wine has a very strong smell even after it has 

 been on the hook, and used in the water for half-an-hour ; and I cannot 

 think that a fish will be unmindful of it, and recklessly take such a 

 strange smelling thing into its mouth ; I have often thought, in using 

 such a bait, that I have lost many a run I should otherwise have got. 

 I have seen fish follow it and turn away. Of course I cannot say 

 positively that it was the smell that turned them away from it, for they 

 will do just the same to any bait they mistrust ; still I was fishing very 

 carefully, the bait was neat, and I thought it was the smell. Salt-fish I 



