2 MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 
Time after time I have approached this pike without 
his showing any excitement, but as soon as I took 
up the net he would reveal his agitation, and a gleam 
would appear in his eye in anticipation of a meal. 
The minnow, as soon as he was put into the tank, 
recognised a natural enemy, and the pike frequently 
had considerable difficulty in catching him. After 
one or two failures I have seen the pike retire into a 
corner of the tank, and, taking what shelter there was 
among the scant weeds, wait until the restless minnow, 
cruising round and round, had his tail towards him. 
Then, stealthily coming up from behind. he would rush 
forward and quickly seize his prey. 
Rainbow trout turned into a pond soon learn to 
appreciate that an individual standing at a certain 
spot at certain times of the day means food, and will 
jump a foot or more out of the water to take it from 
the hand. At Port Erin Marine Biological Station there 
are two large ponds in which some four hundred plaice 
spawn, the eggs being gathered for the hatchery. During 
her stay of a month a lady made a pet of one particularly 
large plaice, and I have seen this fish come up to the 
edge of the pond when she approached, and put its 
head out of the water to be fed. 
Next let us consider the attitudes and movements 
of fishes, and what they convey to us 
If we sce a cat crouching behind a bush, motionless 
except for a spasmodic twitch of the end of his tail, 
we know the cat is watching a bird or a mouse, and he 
