SOME FISH AND SOME FISHING 



the water very much as a porpoise swims. 

 He is not afraid of man or boat, and even 

 the small fish in the rivers will not increase 

 their speed as you pass them by. In the 

 rivers, when not in motion, they will lie 

 on the bottom, coming to the surface 

 from time to time for a mouthful of air 

 and then retiring to their resting-place, 

 after which the air-bubbles will rise to the 

 surface for some time. It is this action 

 that makes the natives insist that these 

 fish have lungs and use them for breathing. 

 Then, again, they will lie on the bottom 

 for hours, as other fish do, with very little 

 or no motion of the fins. I once caught 

 a very small baby tarpon in a gill-net, 

 and kept him alive in a tub for hours. He 

 did not act as other fish do in like circum- 

 stances, but allowed me to stroke him gently 

 without attempting to move. From time 

 to time he would rise to the surface, as the 

 large fish do in the rivers, then go to the 

 bottom of the tub again, and in a moment 

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