FISHES. 139 



ment as its near relative the common perct. Tlie reason 

 of this may be that it is nearly always found in running 

 water, and hardly ever in stagnant. Ruffes are very often 

 caught while gudgeon are being fished for. They are bold 

 biters, but are seldom^ taken in such numbers as to make 

 it worth while to carry them home for food. The flesh 

 is, however, highly valued upon the Continent. The Ruffe 

 is reaUy a very beautiful fish, and, when in good con- 

 dition, his scales seem to glisten with all the colours of 

 the rainbow. Though he is so handsome, he has, however, 

 such an inexpressibly sad-looking face as almost to make 

 one miserable to look at him. While in captivity he 

 generally swims, with dorsal fin erect, close to the bottom 

 of the tank. He is a great eater, and must be supphed 

 with suitable food, or he will certainly die. When at liberty, 

 he feeds upon insects, worms, and the like; and in the 

 aquarium he ought to be fed upon the same until he can 

 be induced to take raw meat. All the carnivorous in- 

 habitants of the tank should be fed, where possible, upon 

 meat instead of living animals ; for continually feeding 

 one's captives upon live minnows, tadpoles, worms, and the 

 like, must tend to make one callous to the feelings and 

 fears of one's feUow-creatures ; though I think the suffeidngs 

 of the minnow when seized by a pike, or the pains of a 

 tadpole while in the clutches of the pupa of a dragon-fly, 

 are extremely slight, for not only are they cold-blooded, 

 but it is mercifully ordained — I believe — that all animals 

 more or less lose all sensation when being preyed upon. 

 Dr. Livingstone has recorded that when under the paws 

 of a lion he was unconscious of either fear or pain. The 

 Ruffe should not be kept with fish smaller than himself, 

 or very likely he will devour some of his companions ; 

 neither should he be placed in an aquarium where there is 

 even the slightest approach to crowding of its occupants, or 

 he will' be one of the first to die. The chief differences 

 between the perch and the Ruffe are that in the case of 

 the former, the dorsal fin is divided into two fins, the one 

 with spines, the other without ; while in the case of the 



