SMOOTH BLENNY, ETC. 61 



placed him on the palm of my hand, and titillated his 

 little back with my soft pencil, he exhibited evident 

 signs of pleasure. 



I mentioned this most remarkable instance of 

 tameness and docility to many of my friends. They all 

 conceived that I exaggerated the fact, until they had 

 ocular demonstration for themselves. Yet after all 

 it can only take place among those " little romances 

 in which natural history abounds one of those 

 narrations which, while believing, we almost doubt, 

 and yet while doubting must believe." * 



It will be found in a future chapter that my Blennies 

 became very destructive. I determined I should let 

 them exercise this newly developed propensity upon 

 another of their companions ; so I slid a Limpet off the 

 rock to which it had affixed itself, and dropped the 

 devoted mollusc on the bottom of the tank, shell down- 

 wards, leaving the fleshy parts exposed. There was 

 immediately a rush to the spot, and after sundry 

 bickerings with each other, one gave a grip at the 

 "mantle" and made a slight rent in it another and 

 another did the same, the poor Patella always endea- 

 vouring to grasp at something to turn himself over. 

 Had he been able to accomplish this, not all the fish 

 in Christendom would have had the slightest chance 

 of getting a bite at him; perhaps they would not 

 be sorry for that, if I may judge from the Blennies, 

 for, although they pulled and tugged and shook their 

 victim, they did not make a hearty meal. As I 

 * Professor Forbes. 



