FISHES 173 



wicked-looking eyes, is the companion of the pike and 

 perch in slaughter. It waits until dark in the thickest 

 vegetation in clear, swift-running water. Then it glides 

 slowly along, using every stone and piece of wood as 

 cover, towards the edge ; it leaves no cover unsearched, 

 and darts like an arrow on everything that is eatable. 

 The most comprehensive predatory of German waters 

 is the shad. It grows to a length of four-and-a-half 

 yards, and weighs up to 400 pounds. This is another 

 nocturnal fish, but its bristles can also be seen moving 

 about in search of prey during the day. It eats ducks, 

 and even dogs, and the bodies of children ; even living 

 children have to beware of it, as the inhabitants of the 

 Danube provinces, where it is still often found, know. 

 Much larger, but much less dangerous, is the sturgeon, 

 which gives the best caviare. It grows to a length of 

 eight yards, and weighs sometimes 1,000 pounds. With 

 the equally large and harmless giant-shark, it is the 

 biggest fish on the earth. 



The small fishes have their revenge on the larger 

 ones by eating them in their early stages, and so 

 prevent them from increasing too much to their own 

 cost. When the trout has cast its spawn, the bullhead 

 gets to work. It places itself vertically over the eggs 

 with its head down, makes them rise by a movement 

 of its fins, and swallows them one after another. The 

 trout in turn has a taste for the young bullhead ; we 

 always find the bullhead in a stream which contains 

 trout, or vice versa. They keep each other balanced. 



The means by which fishes protect themselves 

 against enemies are very varied. The harmless tench 



