30 
FISHES. 
minute. Saussure found living Eels in the hot 
springs of Aise in Savoy, in which the tempera- 
ture is pretty regularly 113° Eahr. But these 
cases yield in wonder to that recorded by Hum- 
boldt and Bonpland, who saw living Fishes, ap- 
parently in health and vigour, thrown up from 
the bottom of a volcano, with water and hot 
vapour that raised the thermometer to 210*^ Fahr. ; 
a heat only 2° less than that of boiling water. 
On the other hand, the cold of freezing does 
not always destroy the life of Fishes. In the 
north of Europe, Eels and Perch are conveyed 
from place to place in a frozen state, which revive 
on being thawed. The Grey Sucking Carp of 
North America, according to Dr. Richardson, may 
be treated in the same way. Mr. Jesse tells us 
that a friend of his had a Goldfish frozen with 
the water in a vase into a solid body of ice. He 
broke the ice around it, took it out, and found 
it to all appearance lifeless, and looking perfectly 
crystallized. Having left it in a warm room, 
after a few hours he found the ice thawed 
and the fish moving. In a little while it was as 
lively as usual. In such cases, the fins quiver, 
the fish gradually turns itself on its belly, 
and moves slowly round the vessel ; till, at 
length, completely revived, it swims briskly 
about.” 
We have briefiy alluded to the value of Fishes 
as human food, a value which was appreciated 
in very early times. In the distinctions of clean 
and unclean meats imposed by the Law of Moses, 
Fishes are allowed to be eaten ; — whatsoever 
hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, 
and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.” Still earlier 
