26 
FISHES. 
dence and cleanliness in the little Sunny, and 
observed that at this period it will not seize on 
any kind of bait, I took it into my head one 
fair afternoon, to make a few experiments for 
the purpose of judging how its instinct or rea- 
son might induce it to act when disturbed or 
harassed. 
Provided with a fine fishing-line, and such 
insects as I knew were relished by this fish, I 
reached a sand-bar, covered by about one foot of 
water, where I had previously seen many deposits. 
Approaching the nearest to the shore with great 
care, I baited my hook with a living ground - 
worm, the greater part of which was left at liberty 
to writhe as it pleased, and throwing the line up 
the stream, managed it so that at last it passed 
over the border of the nest, where I allowed it to 
remain on the bottom. The fish, I perceived, 
had marked me, and as the worm intruded on his 
premises, he swam to the farther side, there 
poised himself for a few moments, then ap- 
proached the worm and carried it in his mouth 
over the next side to me, with a care and gentle- 
ness so very remarkable, as to afford me much 
surprise. I repeated the experiment six or seven 
times, and always with the same result. Then, 
changing the bait, I employed a young Grass- 
hopper, which I floated into the egg-bed. The 
insect was removed, as the worm had been, and 
two attempts to hook the fish were unsuccessful. 
I now threw my line with the hook bare, and 
managed as before. The Sunny appeared quite 
alarmed. It swam to one side, then to another, 
in rapid succession, and seemed to entertain a 
fear that the removal of the suspicious object 
