344 
THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 
fresh water continually flowing down beneath the ice would 
afford oxygen enough to support the comparatively few fishes 
that inhabit it. 
C. — I should think a life under water must be a dull 
kind of existence^ confined to a very limited sphere ; for I 
suppose their senses can give them very little^ if any^ inform- 
ation respecting the world above them. 
F. — I am not so sure of that ; as we can distinguish ob- 
jects clearly in pure water^ when the rays from them strike 
our eyes in a direction perpendicular to the surface^ or nearly 
so^ it is not improbable that fishes may be able to see with 
some distinctness those objects in the air^ which are immedi- 
ately above them ; such as the trees on the bank^ the insects 
and birds that fly over the water^ the blue sky^ clouds^ sun 
and stars : though of the green face of the earth they must 
of course be as completely ignorant as we are of the caves of 
ocean. Here^ however^ they have variety enough, and I 
should not think their life dull for lack of objects,, though it is 
doubtless a very different world from ours. I have some- 
times tried to picture to myself the scenery of the water^ but 
can form very little idea of it : the bottom is probably as plen- 
tifully clothed with vegetation as many parts of the land^, 
and contains hills and dales, rocks^ and caverns^ and bright 
sands^ in profusion. There is an interesting fact, which is 
familiar enough to the fishes^ but of which you are probably 
not aware. It is^ that the surface of air which touches the 
water possesses the power of reflection as perfectly as that 
of water ; but of course in the opposite direction : so that 
could we stand under water and look obliquely towards 
the surface^ we should see every object beneath reflected 
from it ; the diversified bottom, fish swimming, floating 
weeds, &c. would be as truly imaged, if the top were smooth 
and unruffled, as the skies and trees are on the surface of 
the still pond. Any one may prove this, by filling a glass 
