THE WAKING OF THE FISHES 



IT is a pity that so many lovers and stu- 

 dents of nature pay little or no attention to 

 "the water under the earth." Birds and 

 flowers are studied with enthusiasm by 

 thousands, but the animal and vegetable life 

 of the water particularly the animal life 

 seems to be overlooked or disregarded, as 

 belonging to a foreign element. This is un- 

 fortunate, because there is so much of rare 

 and surprising interest in the study of 

 water-life so many revelations of the won- 

 ders of God's creation, so many glimpses 

 into the marvelous resources and adapta- 

 bilities of nature. The life of the water is 

 not only fascinating in its own body of facts, 

 but it is full of surprises and suggestions, 

 now in the way of contrast with the life of 

 earth and air, and now in curious corre- 

 spondence with it. The study of fishes in 

 particular is most fascinating ; and I do not 

 know how the mind of a beginner in nature- 



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