ICHTHYOLOGY. 29 



they are " rather silent," and that their language (what- 

 ever it be) is " very elliptical." But still, as I have said, 

 I believe that they have the power of making intelligible 

 communications to one another, mouth to mouth ; and as I 

 have frequently 'noticed, or fancied I did, a kind of " know- 

 ing look " about their eyes, I shall at least credit these 

 intelligent creatures, as Thomson credited Celadon and 

 his Amelia, with "looking unutterable things." 



I must now bring this ichthyological " Note " to a con- 

 clusion ; and as it has extended itself to a length beyond 

 that which I had anticipated, I must perforce leave much 

 unsaid which I should have wished to have said. To 

 those who would dip deeper into the Natural History of 

 Pish, I would first of all recommend Baron Cuvier'a 

 immortal work, while the two standard works on British 

 Pish are those by Yarrell and J. Couch, a new edition of 

 which latter I am glad to hear is about to be published 

 by.Messrs. Bell and Son. The more "familiar" histories 

 of our fish are those by H. P. Gosse, P. Buck, and Frank 

 Buckland, and that published by Cassell and Co. Jukes's 

 Manual of Geology may also be consulted with advantage ; 

 and there is a little book by James Rennie, M. A., formerly 

 Professor of Zoology at King's College, The Alphabet of 

 Scientific Angling, full of curious and interesting ichthyolo- 

 gical gossip. The edition I have is that published by Orr 

 and Smith, Paternoster Row, 1836. Mr. Cholmondeley 

 Pennell's Angler-Naturalist is also a book which will be 

 read with pleasure by all who aspire to that title ; but of 

 all books on Fish and Pishing in which the ichthyological 

 element is strong there is not one which has given me 

 half the pleasure that Badham's Ancient and Modem Fish 

 Tattle has. 



