126 FISHES IN GENERAL. 



with brilliant scales, sometimes golden, sometimes 

 silvery, and in others, of the finest tints of blue 

 and green. ' 



Fish are generally social in their habits, and 

 may be seen glancing in the sun in large shoals ; 

 they are also very sportive and playful, are full of 

 activity and animation, and seem happy creatures. 

 Their character in a general way is that of gentle- 

 ness and harmlessness ; and they show no marks 

 of cruelty towards one another, beyond satisfying 

 the common instinct for taking food. There 

 are, indeed, in the sea, as on the land, some fierce 

 and voracious creatures, which are objects of 

 terror ; but those which are most abundant, and 

 which come more immediately under our notice, 

 are gentle and beautiful creatures, in no way 

 to be feared, but very much to be admired. 



The eyes of fish differ from our own in their 

 shape and structure ; as they live in a different 

 element, the care and wisdom of their Creator 

 has been shown in the way their different organs 

 are adapted to it. Had their eyes been con- 

 structed like those of the mammalia, they would 

 not have been able to see accurately, and would 

 therefore have been unable to catch their prey. 

 This has been cared for, and fish see as well in 

 the water as other animals see in the air. 



Fish have no voice, and no external organs of 

 hearing ; yet a few utter slight sounds, as the 

 tunny, and the ling : and many of them obviously 



