Fishes. 2357 



poaching), and, as it afterwards appeared, fractured its skull, and turned the optic 

 nerve on one side. The agony evinced by the animal was most horrible. It rushed 

 to the bottom, and, boring its head into the mud, whirled itself round with such velo- 

 city, that it was almost lost to the sight for a short interval. It then plunged about 

 the pond, and at length threw itself completely out of the water on to the bank. He 

 (the Doctor) went and examined it, and found that a very small portion of the brain 

 was protruding from the fracture of the skull. He carefully replaced this, and, with 

 a small silver tooth-pick, raised the indented portion of the skull. The fish remained 

 still for a short time, and he then put it again into the pond. It appeared at first a 

 good deal relieved, but in a few minutes it again darted and plunged about, until it 

 threw itself out of the water a second time. A second time Dr. Warwick did what he 

 could to relieve it, and again put it into the water. It continued for several times to 

 throw itself out of the water, and, with the assistance of the keeper, the Doctor made 

 a kind of pillow for the fish, which was then left in the pond to its fate. Upon making 

 his appearance at the pond the following morning, the pike came towards him to the 

 edge of the water, and actually laid its head upon his foot. The Doctor thought this 

 most extraordinary ; but he examined the fish's skull, and found it was going on all 

 right. He then walked backwards and forwards along the edge of the pond for some 

 time, and the fish continued to swim up and down, turning whenever he turned ; but 

 being blind on the wounded side of its skull, it always appeared agitated when it had 

 that side towards the bank, as it could not then see its benefactor. On the next day 

 he took some young friends down to see the fish, which came to him as usual ; and, 

 at length, he actually taught the pike to come to him at his whistle and feed out of 

 his hands. With other persons it continued as shy as fish usually are. He (Dr. War- 

 wick) thought this a most remarkable instance of gratitude in a fish for a benefit 

 received, and, as it always came at his whistle, it proved also what he had previously, 

 with other naturalists, disbelieved, — that fishes are sensible to sound. — ' Dumfries 

 Chronicle.' 



Enormous undescribed Fish, apparently allied to the Raiidce, killed off California. 

 — The following extract from a letter addressed to the Admiralty by Commander 

 (now Captain) Cospatrick Baillie Hamilton has been obligingly placed in my hands, 

 for publication in the ' Zoologist,' by the writer's brother, Captain Hamilton, Secre- 

 tary to the Admiralty. The document is dated H.M.S. Frolic, at sea off the west 

 coast of Mexico, December 17, 1846. " In the gulf of California we fell in with 

 some flat fishes of enormous size : at first we were unsuccessful in our attempts 

 to capture them. I therefore made careful preparations, in the event of falling 

 in with them again, — having harpoons constructed of a very large size, and attaching 

 to them a coil of l£ inch rope, by way of line. These precautions proved in the end 

 successful, for we subsequently killed two of these monstrous animals. The larger 

 afforded great sport to the ship's company, as well as to myself and the boat's crew. 

 We were in a small, light, four-oared boat, built by Waterman, of Plymouth, and a 

 more beautiful little sea-boat I have never seen. Immediately I had struck the fish 

 with the harpoon it made off, apparently in a great rage, in a direct line for the ship : 

 two harpoons were well fixed in the creature, and he very soon got out all our line, and 

 then our light little boat seemed absolutely to fly over the water, our weight being 

 scarcely perceptible to so powerful a creature. I never before experienced such rapid 

 motion ; the sensation was most exciting and delightful. The fish was still taking 

 the exact direction of the ship ; and it seemed as though the boat must pass under her 

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