126 PISHES AND FISHING. 



and sullen, and are a long time before they forget 

 their loss"— ''Phil. Transact." vol. ix., p. 323. 



** Mr. Anderson put two ruffs into a jar of water 

 about Christmas, and in April he gave one of them 

 away. The fish that remained was so affected, that 

 it would eat nothing for three weeks ; so that fearing 

 it would pine to death, he sent it to the gentleman 

 on whom he had bestowed its companion. On re- 

 joining the other, it ate immediately,- and recovered 

 its formeri briskness." — Ibid. 



There are many examples which might be adduced. 

 The question is, whether this was love or friendship ; 

 if the fish were of different sexes, it must be the 

 former ; if of the same sex, the latter passion. See 

 also Burton's *' Anatomy of Melancholy, " vol. ii., 

 p. 125, 13th ed., 1827. ''Fishes pine away for 

 love, and wax lean." 



There are probably ninety-nine persons out of every 

 hundred, who see fish rise to the surface, or sink to 

 the bottom, in rivers or glass globes, without reflecting 

 how those movements are accomplished. It has been 

 supposed by some scientific men, that these motions 

 are effected by the swimming bladder ; this viscus has 

 several coats possessed of great muscular power, 

 which enables the fish to contract, or expand it at 

 pleasure, and as fish have about the same specific 

 gravity as their native element, a dilation of the air- 



