64 THE SCOTTISH ANGLER. 



argument, until they discover to us the clue by which 

 to trace those capabilities in fish enabling them to en- 

 dure the great extremes of heat and cold to which 

 water is liable. Should it be answered, they are cold- 

 blooded that is the best reason why they are not easily 

 affected by any other sort of pain, such, for instance, 

 as is inflicted by the hook. It will be asked, however, 

 why do fish struggle so vehemently, and make such vi- 

 gorous efforts to escape? Merely from a love of 

 freedom and impatience of control, which desire after 

 liberty is common to all breathing creatures, from the 

 fly upwards. 



And as to trout, we may mention, that the same in- 

 sensibility to pain has been practically proved to us to 

 be theirs, in common with the pike. We have caught 

 them with large hooks, and even minnow-tackles, en- 

 cased in their mouths and stomachs ; nor did they 

 seem to suffer any great inconvenience, seeing that 

 their appetites were not impaired, nor their condition 

 rendered less healthy. On one occasion, we remem- 

 ber losing a small fly hook upon some willows which 

 overhung the water, and on the evening of the same 

 day, angling near the spot, we caught a trout with our 

 identical fly sticking in his jaw. We remember also, 

 when lashing the Yarrow behind a companion, he hav- 

 ing lost his cast of hooks upon a fish, we were so for- 

 tunate as to entrap it, and recover his flies, not ten 

 minutes after. The trout had the tackle fastened to 

 his body, dragging after him at least five yards of gut. 

 Instances of this sort are of no uncommon occurrence, 

 and all industrious anglers must have occasionally met 

 with them. 



In our attempts to prove that fish experience little 

 actual pain, we have said enough : it is a matter upon 

 which men ought to be content with their ignorance, 



