28 
FISHES. 
he had followed to the very edge of the water. 
A person who had kept two small fishes together 
in a glass, gave one of them away : the other 
refused to eat, and showed evident symptoms of 
unhappiness till his companion was restored to 
him.” 
The longevity of many fishes seems to be un- 
doubted. Some well authenticated facts respect- 
ing Carp and some other domesticated species, 
go to prove that these have attained the age of 
a century. But the Pike seems to be still longer 
lived; one taken in Prussia in 1754* bore a ring 
which testified its having been put into the pond 
267 years before : how old it was at that time 
w^as of course unknown. Cartilaginous Fishes,” 
observes Mr. Swainson, from the nature of 
their bones, continue to grow all their lives ; and 
as many of these, particularly the Rays, habitu- 
ally live in the deep recesses of the ocean, and 
thus seldom run the risk of being captured by 
man, we may probably attribute their enormous 
and almost incredible size to their great age.”^ 
The increase in size of other Fishes seems to 
have no definite limit, but proceeds during their 
whole life ; their bodies instead of experiencing 
the rigidity of age, which appears to be the 
common cause of natural decay in terrestrial 
animals, maintain the elasticity of their parts 
undiminished ; while as they increase in size 
and strength, they become more and more able 
to obtain and overcome their prey, and to defy 
their enemies. Hence probably it is a rare 
thing for a fish to die of natural decay ; yet, 
when we consider the incessant warfare that 
* Classification of Fishes, i. 48. 
