62 THE ANGLER AND HUNTSMAN 



barous gluttons, which make great havoc among the in- 

 habitants of the sea. This bloodthirsty animal does not 

 live in couples like the carnivorous land animals, but are 

 found in large herds or schools. Could this be possible, the 

 scientist asks, if those animals on which these pirates of 

 the sea live did not increase in extraordinarily large 

 numbers ? 



The whale also lives on live animals. It can well be imag- 

 ined what a vast quantity of sea life it would have to de- 

 vour to satiate its appetite. 



But, passing from the whales and dolphins to the real 

 fish, we find that they also, with very few exceptions, are 

 carnivorous. It has been said by a noted scientist that the 

 water is an enormous battle-field, where life is only main- 

 tained by constant slaughter. It is easy to observe the 

 cruel and gluttonous character of the fish. Put some of the 

 little fish say sticklebacks, in a large glass full of water. 

 As they are quite lively little fellows, they will, in the be- 

 ginning, afford more pleasure than gold fish, which please 

 the eye by their beautiful red color, but which are so slow 

 in their movements that one might well think they are 

 pining away or else sick. If a little worm unfortunately 

 should attract the attention of the sticklebacks, it is made 

 the object of very violent attacks, and is soon devoured. 



If you should put in the glass small fish, just a few 

 days old, and not any larger than tiny worms, not a single 

 one of them will escape these greedy gluttons. So greedy 

 are they after flesh that if properly fed they can be easily 

 trained. As soon as some small pieces of flesh are thrown 

 into the water they will approach rapidly, and by repeating 

 this experiment four or five times, the}^ can be taught to 

 come to the surface as soon as they see the hand stretched 

 out over the water. This spectacle, however, is soon fol- 

 lowed by another pitiable one. The sticklebacks, confined 

 within the narrow confines of the glass, do not find food 

 enough, and thereupon begin to attack each other, and soon 



