252 AKIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



forthcoming, we must suspend our judgment with regard 

 to the habits in question. The following describes what 

 these habits are believed by many observers to be. 



Captain Eichards, K.N., says that he saw a blue shark 

 following a bait which was thrown out to him from the 

 ship. The shark, which was attended by four pilot-fish, 

 repeatedly approached the bait ; but every time he did so 

 one of the latter rushed in and prevented him. After a 

 time the shark swam away ; but when he had gone a con- 

 siderable distance, he turned back again, swam quickly 

 after the vessel, and before the pilot-fish could overtake 

 him, seized the bait and was caught. While hoisting 

 him on board, one of the pilots was seen to cling to his 

 side until above water, when it dropped off. All the pilots 

 then swam about for a time, as if searching for their 

 friend, 'with every apparent mark of anxiety and distress.'^ 

 Colonel Smith fully corroborates this observation; but 

 Mr. Greoffrey, on the other hand, saw a pilot-fish take great 

 pains to bring a shark to the bait.^ Probably the truth is 

 that the pilot-fish attend the shark in order to obtain the 

 crumbs that fall from his feasts, and that the cases in which 

 they appear to prevent his taking the bait are without any 

 psychological significance. 



With regard to the alleged co-operation of the thresh- 

 ing and sword-fish in the destruction of whales, all that 

 can be said is that the statements, although antecedently 

 improbable, are sufficient in number not to be ignored. 

 Mr. Day appears to accept the evidence as adequate, and 

 gives the following cases : — 



Captain Arn, in a voyage to Memel in the Baltic, gives the 

 following interesting narrative : — One morning during a calm, 

 when near the Hebrides, all hands were called up at 2 a.m, to 

 witness a battle between several of the fish called threshers or 

 fox-sharks {Alopecias vulpes), and some sword-fish on one side, 

 and an enormous whale on the other. It was in the middle of 

 the summer ; and the weather being clear, and the fish close to 

 the vessel, we had a fine opportunity of witnessing the contest. 

 As soon as the whale's back appeared above the water, the 



^ Cuv., Ani7n. Kingd. x. p. 636. 

 2 F. Day, loc. cit. 



