JUNE. TERRIER SEARCHING FOR EELS. 241 



nothing but actual horsehair turned into living 

 things by being immersed for a long time in water of 

 a certain quality. All water does not produce them 

 alike. To the naked eye both extremities are quite 

 the same in appearance. 



While fishing in the river one day at the beginning 

 of June, my attention was attracted by a terrier I 

 had with me, who was busily employed in turning 

 up the stones near the water's edge, evidently in 

 search of some sort of food. On examining into his 

 proceedings I found that under most of the stones 

 were a number of very small eels : where the ground 

 was quite dry the little fish were dead, and these the 

 dog eat ; where there was still any moisture left under 

 the stone they were alive, and wriggled away rapidly 

 towards the stream, seeming to know instinctively 

 which way to go for safety. Trout have undoubt- 

 edly the same instinct ; and when they drop off the 

 hook by chance, they always wriggle towards the 

 water, and never away from it. I saw a trout one 

 day who had been left by the receding of the river 

 in a shallow pool. ^Vhen the water in his narrow- 

 place of refuge had got so low as scarcely to cover 

 him he worked his way out of it, and I saw him go 

 over the still wet stones straight to the river, which 

 was about a yard from the pool. It is difficult, in- 

 deed almost impossible, to become much acquainted 



