218 MR. F. DAY ON FEAR AND ANGER IN FISHES. [Feb. 19, 



when a loud plunge startled me. I thought somebody had jumped 

 off the bastion of the ghaut into the river, but was soon undeceived 

 by the general shout of " Raghu, Ragbu," and by the fishes, large 

 and small, darting away in every direction. Raghu made two or 

 three plunges, but was so quick in his motions that I was unable to 

 guess at his species' 1 . 



" Although I have alluded to an increased brilliancy of colour being 

 caused by anger, and a dull hue occasioned by terror or illness, there 

 appears to be still another cause at work. During the breeding- 

 season some species, such as Periophthalmus schlosseri, appear to 

 become more brilliant, especially the males, as I have observed in 

 my report on the freshwater fishes of Burma. 



"" Pallegoix states that in Siam the Dog's-tongue is a fish shaped 

 like a Sole ; it attaches itself to the bottom of boats, and makes a 

 sonorous noise, which is more musical when several are stuck to 

 the same boat and act in concert (vol. i. p. 193). These noises 

 can scarcely be due to anger or fear. Sir J. Bowring (vol. ii. 

 p. 276) also remarks upon having heard this fish, ' which sticks 

 to the bottoms of the boats, and produces a sound something like 

 that of a Jew's harp struck slowly, though sometimes it increases in 

 loudness, so as to resemble the full sound and tones of an organ. 

 My men have pointed me out a fish about four inches long as the 

 author of the music' 



"Some years since, at Madras, I obtained several specimens of a 

 freshwater Siluroid fish (Macrones vittatus) which is termed ' the 

 fiddler ' in Mysore. I touched one which was on the wet ground, 

 at which it appeared to become very irate, erecting its dorsal 

 fin, making a noise resembling the buzzing of a bee, evidently a 

 sign of anger or terror. Having put some small Carp into an 

 aquarium containing one of these fishes, it rushed at a small example, 

 seized it by the middle of its back, and shook it like a dog killing a 

 rat ; at this time its barbels were stiffened out laterally like a cat's 

 whiskers 2 . 



" Many fish, when captured, make noises, perhaps due to terror. 

 Thus the Caranx hippos, Tetrodon, and others grunt like a pig. 

 Darwin (Nat. Journ. vol. vii.) remarks on a Silurus found in the 

 Rio Parana, and called the Armado, which is remarkable for a harsh 

 grating noise when caught by hook and line ; this noise can be 

 distinctly heard when the fish is beneath the water. 



"Aristotle and iElian were aware of this faculty in some of the 

 fishes of the Mediteranean 3 . 



"The Cuckoo-Gurnard (Trigla pini) and the Maigre (Scicena 

 nquila) utter sounds when taken out of the water 4 ; and Herrings, 

 when the net has been drawn over them, have been observed to do 



1 "Observations on the Past and Present Condition of Onjein," 'Journal 

 of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,' vi. p. 820. 



2 ' Pishes of India,' p. 449. 



3 See ' De Animal.' lib. iv. cap. ix. ; iElian, lib. x. cap. xi. ; Pliny, lib. ix. 

 cap. viii. and lib. xi. cap. xviii. ; Athenaeus, lib. vii. cap. iii. & vi. 



* Yarrell, ' British Pishes,' i. pp. 44-107. 



