the Organ of Hearing in Fiji. 
of which is fmall, and placed on the upper flat furface of the 
lead; but it is not every genus or fpecies of fifh that has the 
external opening. 
The nerves of the ear pafij outwards from the brain, and 
appear to terminate at once on the external furface of the fwel- 
hng of the femi-circular tubes above defcribed. They do not 
appear to pafs through thofe tubes fo as to get on the iniide, as, 
is fuppofed to be the cafe in quadrupeds; I fhould therefore 
veiy much lufpedf, that the lining of thofe tubes in the qua- 
druped is«not nerve, but a kind of internal perioffeum. 
As it is evident that fifh poffefs the organ of hearing, it be- 
comes unneceffary to make or relate any experiment made with 
live fifh which only tends to prove this fact ; but 1 will mention 
one experiment, to (hew that founds affedl them- much, and is 
one of their guards, as it is in other animals. In the year 
1762, when I was in Portugal, I obferved in a nobleman’s 
garden, near Lifbon, a fmall fifbvpond, full of different kinds, 
of fifh. . Its bottom was level with the ground, and' was made 
by forming a bank all round. There was a fhrubbery clofe to 
it. Whilft I was laying on the bank, obferving the fifh lwim- 
ming about, I defired a gentleman, who was with me, to 
take a loaded gun, and go behind the fhrubs and fire it. The 
reafon for going behind the fhrubs was, that there might not 
be the leaf! reflection of light. The in flan t the report was 
made, the fifh appeared to be all of one mind, for they vanifhed 
inllantaneoufly into the mud at the bottom, railing as it were a 
cloud of mud. In about five minutes after they be<?an to 
• w ZD 
appear, till the whole came forth again. 
