132 THE ANGLER-NATUKALIST. 



on the domain of the miraculous, there are certainly 

 many accounts on record of the restoration of sick and 

 wounded fish by contact with the Tench; and it would 

 be presumptuous indeed in any one to assert that such 

 a provision for the necessities of this numerous class is 

 impossible in the beneficent scheme of creation. The fol- 

 lowing, mentioned by Mr. Wright, is one out of a hundred 

 of such alleged instances that might be quoted : 



ee A gentleman, who was unfortunately unable to leave 

 the house for some time through an accident, amused 

 himself by making small artificial flies, which he did very 

 neatly. He kept some Minnows, and a Tench about 2^ 

 inches long, in a very large wide-mouthed bottle ; all the 

 Minnows had died except one ; my friend was just finish- 

 ing a fly as I went into his room, and he held it upon the 

 surface of the water in the bottle as he was often in the 

 habit of doing; the Minnow darted at it so rapidly, that 

 he could not withdraw the fly in time to prevent the hook 

 from pricking the Minnow ; the little fish descended three 

 parts of the way down the bottle, poised himself for a 

 moment, with his nose pointing downwards, then swiftly 

 went the remainder of the way, rubbed his nose during a 

 few seconds against the side of the Tench, and again swam 

 about as lively as before. We both joined in the opinion 

 that it is really no fable as to Tench being the Esculapius 

 of fish ; for here was an example before our eyes of a fish 

 being wounded, and immediately instinct directed him to 

 seek a remedy." 



