392 THE ZOOLOGIST, 



foundation of the excellent edition (or editions, it must be said) of Mr. 

 Harting ; and the late Prof. Bell, who lived for forty years in what had 

 been White's house at Selborne, and, possessing advantages far greater 

 than any of his predecessors or successors, was able to give so much 

 additional information that his edition still remains, and is likely for many 

 years to remain, the standard. His biographical memoir, too, contains 

 more numerous details of the author than had been before accessible ; but 

 for a complete Life we must await that which his great-great-nephew, 

 Mr. Holt-White, is understood to have in the press." 



Mr. Fkank T. Bullen has written in the ' Strand Magazine ' for July 

 on the subject of " Sociable Fish." On the question of the sociability of 

 the Pilot-fish with the Shark, the author writes as follows : — 



11 Does the Pilot-fish love the Shark ? Does it even know that the Shark 

 is a Shark, a slow, short-sighted, undiscriminating creature whose chief 

 characteristic is that of never-satisfied hunger ? In short, does the Pilot- 

 fish attach itself to the Shark as a pilot, with a definite object in view, or is 

 the attachment merely the result of accident ? Let us see. 



" Here is a big Shark-hook, upon which we stick a mass of fat pork two 

 or three pounds in weight. Fastening a stout rope to it we drop it over the 

 stern with a splash. The eddies have no sooner smoothed away than we 

 see the brilliant little blue and gold Pilot-fish coming towards our bait at 

 such speed that we can hardly detect the lateral vibrations of his tail. 

 Round and round the bait he goes, evidently in a high state of excitement, 

 and next moment he has darted off again as rapidly as he came. He reaches 

 the Shark, touches him with his head on the nose, and comes whizzing back 

 again to the bait, followed sedately by the dull-coloured monster. As if 

 impatient of his huge companion's slowness, he keeps oscillating between 

 him and the bait until the Shark has reached it, and without hesitation has 

 turned upon his back to seize it, if such a verb can be used to denote the 

 deliberate way in which that gaping crescent of a mouth enfolds the lump 

 of pork. Nothing, you think, can increase the excitement of the little 

 attendant now. He seems ubiquitous, flashing all round the Shark's jaws 

 as if there were twenty of him at least. But when half a dozen men, 

 " tailing on " to the rope, drag the Shark slowly upward out of the sea, the 

 faithful little Pilot seems to go frantic with — what shall we call it? — dread 

 of losing his protector, affection, anger, who can tell? The fact remains 

 that during the whole time occupied in hauling the huge writhing carcase 

 of the Shark up out of the water the Pilot-fish never ceases its distracted 

 upward leaping against the body of his departing companion. And after the 

 Shark has been hauled clear of the water the bereaved Pilot darts discon- 

 solately to and fro about the rudder as if in bewilderment at its great loss." 



