70 Analogy in favor of fish speaking. Chapt. v. 



have they been doing? Fooling? All their history is 

 against the supposition. They would seem to have been 

 conversing. "Watch them dragging a cockroach up the 

 side of a wall. It is about fifty times the size and weight 

 of any one of them, but there they are on all sides, some 

 upholding, some dragging, some pushing, others indicat- 

 ing the way, and others coming as reliefs, but all evi- 

 dently understanding each other, and consequently work- 

 ing with a unanimity of purpose, which alone could make 

 it possible to accomplish their end as they do. They 

 clear fields, sow seeds, cultivate them, and in due course 

 cut, carry, and store, crops in granaries built for the 

 purpose. They forage for, capture, stall, feed, and milk 

 cows. They maintain armies and take prisoners. They 

 have a well ordered society. It is impossible that they 

 could do all this without being able to communicate freely 

 with each other. 



Though arguments to this end might be multiplied 

 ad libitum, enough has probably been said to convince 

 the reader that beasts, birds, and insects, can and do 

 converse as freely as human beings, and if other animals, 

 and even insects, can communicate readily with each 

 other, why should not fishes be able to do so? On what 

 ground should they alone be made an exception? It is 

 natural that they should be able to have speech of each 

 other, and it is probably not unessential to their welfare. 

 All analogy being favorable then to their being able to 

 communicate ideas, we may examine with less incredulity, 

 without any presumption to the contrary, and conse- 



