130 Wild Life in Water 



Little incidents like this are forever oc- 

 curring and effectually set aside the once 

 prevalent idea that fish are mere living ma- 

 chines. Look a pike in the eye and you 

 will deteft something very different from 

 mere instinctive timidity. 



But fish are not the only creatures that live 

 in the water ; there are one snake and several 

 species of turtles, and frogs, mollusks, and 

 insefts innumerable. These are too apt to 

 be associated with the land, and, except the 

 two latter forms, are usually thought of as 

 taking to the water as a place of refuge, but 

 really living in the open air. This is a great 

 mistake. There is a lively world beneath 

 the surface of the water, and the tragedy of 

 life is played to the very end, with here and 

 there a pretty comedy that wards off the 

 blues when we look too long and see nothing 

 but the destruction of one creature that an- 

 other may live. 



Here is an example of cunning or wit in a 

 water-snake. A friend of mine was recently 

 sitting on the bank of a little brook, when 

 his attention was called to a commotion 

 almost at his feet. Looking down, he saw a 

 snake holding its head above the water, and 



