THE SENSES OF FISHES. 15 



order of his going, but going at once ; and this is an in- 

 stinct intuitive, I believe which, apart from the direct 

 teachings of the senses, informs him that certain crea- 

 tures are his enemies. I have seen a stream literally 

 boiling with rising trout, one moment, and the next, as 

 a weird, ghostly heron sailed slowly over it, you would 

 swear it did not possess a fish, so quickly had they 

 ceased rising, and so instantly had they hidden them- 

 selves. Yet, when a flock of rooks had passed just as 

 close only a few minutes before, though they ceased ris- 

 ing for a few seconds during the actual flight, there was 

 no general stampede. Explain that circumstance if you 

 can, gentle reader, on any hypothesis than that the fish 

 recognized the foe of their race, instinctively. Once I 

 caught a kingfisher in a trap set just over the water of 

 my tank of young, feeding trout, and did not release its 

 body, seeing it was dead, ere I proceeded to cast to the 

 fish the victuals I had brought. JS T ow, on other occasions 

 previously, these little, domesticated farios would rise 

 en masse to the chopped meat and meal, on which I was 

 wont to feed them, for I accustomed them to be fed a 

 little at a time but often, and they rather regarded my 

 presence in a friendly spirit. On this occasion, however, 

 their alacrity was turned to a startled, restless demeanor, 

 which is easily detected by the watchful fish-breeder 

 and lover. Was the kingfisher the cause of the uneasi- 

 ness ? I won't assert so much, but I have a private 

 belief, built up and strengthened by many trivial obser- 

 vations, of which these two are but samples. " Credat 

 JudcBus Apella!" you mutter. JSTathless, however, I 

 doubt not, oh, sceptic ! there are more things between 



