MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 
CHAPTER I 
ATTITUDES AND MOVEMENTS EXPRESSING INTENTIONS 
AND EMOTIONS 
Most people think of fish as dull, uninteresting creatures, 
leading monotonous lives. This is mainly due to the 
fact that they have only seen them in bowls, tanks, 
or in an aquarium, where natural food does not exist 
and where their enemies are conspicuous by their 
absence. That a fish’s life is far from monotonous will 
be seen later, the object of the present chapter being to 
illustrate how interesting he is to watch when ‘ At 
Home.” 
Many fish possess a certain degree of reasoning 
power, and often there is more truth in stories about 
the intelligence of fish than is usually supposed. 
The pike is an exceptionally interesting fish, and 
well repays observation. Some years ago I kept a small 
pike for many months in my sitting-room. He became 
quite tame, and would nibble the end of a finger. By 
the side of his tank was a smaller one, which contained 
his food in the form of minnows; and resting on this 
smaller tank was a net for picking out the minnows. 
B 
