The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-19
HAVE FISHES A LANGUAGE?
Mr.. Seth Green Narrating the Result Of Ills
Investigations.
ROCHESTER. Feb.

4tOSlco16N3 COs Os
Messrs. Seth Green, Robert B. Roose-
velt, and Hon. Richard U. Sherman, the
three State Commissioners of Fisheries,
were interviewed in Rochester recently,
after visit of inspection to the State
Fish Hatcheries at Caledonia, and Mr..
Roosevelt said:
Gentlemen, can tell you that the
man ofthe future will have to under
stand the language of beast, and birds,
and fishes"
To this Mr.. Seth Green added:
"I know that trout hold conversations
just as regular as we do. How would
those trout out there in the Caledonia
ponds know the difference between long
plain stick and regular fishing rod, as
they do, if they didn't talk it over and
compare notes ?"
To-day The Sun correspondent visited
Mr.. Green for more information, and
this question was asked:
"Upon what observations of the habits
of fishes do you base your belief in an
intelligent fish dialect 2"
principally upon my knowledge of
their forethought, sagacity, memory, and
general intelligence" was Mr.. Green's
answer. "In the first pond at Caledonia
there are about 5000 brook trout, each
of which was taken from its native waters
with fly. We caught great many of
them easily, because they abounded, and
seldom had been fshed for in the wild,
remote lakes of the Adirondacks. But
when, after they had taken the fly, we
wound them slowly into our boats with
the reel, they had good chance to see
the rod and the line, and understand
Just how they came to be decoyed, caught,
and transferred. Of course, they lived
and kept healthy, for we put them in
fresh water tanks and took good care of
them. But tell you they have memo
ries, and they never forget the exact
shape and appearance of the impliments
that took them from their native waters.
After their transfer to Caledonia, they
came to know me perfectly, for fed them
and every time came to the pond they
followed me around and kept as close to
me as they could, without leaving the
water. Of course they displayed more life
and determination when I had a feed-pan
in my hands, but they were always friend
ly when they knew that it was perfectly
safe to be so. Frequently I have taken
friends up to the pond with me to see
these pets, and to show how smart they
were. 1 would conceal fishing rod be-
hind my person for while. The trout
remained on just as friendly terms as
ever, until I held that fishing rod out
over the water, where they could see it
and the tackle. They recognized it in
as there former enemy,
and got out of the way. Let me go along
there with clean stick and no tackle on
it, and they pay no attention to it. For
FIVE years their memory has held out
perfectly in this respect. All the other
trout in the Caledonia ponds were hatched
there from spawn, and as they had not
any unpleasant experiences with fishing
rods or tackle they are no more frig ghten-
ed when the impliments appear near
them than when the most friendly act is
for them. 1 never refuse an anxious am
bicious young man the privilege of cast
ing fly in the pond where the trans
planted trout live, for I know that these
fish have had experience enough to look
out for themselves"
"But, Mr.. Green, because these FISH,
have memory you will hardly contend
that their intelligence reaches point
where language becomes necessity ?"
"No, sir; but because they have q sa-
gacious intelligence-not an instinct
which teaches to profit by the fortunes
that befall the family Of fishes. How
many men are there of whom the same
can be said with invariable truth =? Talk
about natural sagacity; why, l can point
you to a striking instance of it, in
primitive form, among fishes you ever
heard of among men. In the winter of
1910 hunted deer and fished for salmon
trout in and around Bonaparte Lakes,
lust north of Herkimer County in the
Adirondacks. I fished, putting down 100
hooks through holes in the ice about
eight rods apart. These hooks were bai-
ted with good-sized minnows, as full of
life as though at liberty. After the lines
had been down the first night / took from
Them in the morning twenty-five good
big trout. Each successive morning 1
rot less and less, until on the eighth day
.he number of trout taken had diminish
ed to seven or eight. But every bait was
zone from every hook as on the first
morning when I made the big haul. l
know the trout hadn't all been taken
from those waters, but it was also appar-
snt couldn't catch any more without
removing my tackle. So I cut new holes
IN the ice and moved down about quar-
,er of q mile. There my results were in
exactly the same ratio as the first, and 1
1ad to move again in seven or eight days.
One day / ran a line of hooks in such n
direction that one of them came right
over rocky bar, where there was open
water. I decided to try an experiment
With this hook. fastened the upper end
,f the line to an overhanging piece of
brush, so that nothing could interfere
with the bait below without making the
brush wriggle. Then I lay down to watch.
Very soon the brush began to wriggle in
4 lively fashion. Looking down into the
water saw magnificent trout expert
with the minnow attached to the
hook. Keeping as close to the minnow
IS possible, he repeatedly snapped at it
very cautiously, reopening his mouth be-
fore he had fairly closed it: so as to pre-
vent swallowing anything he did not
want. When the minnow in its flight
had gone as far as the line would permit.
Mr.. Trout made more forcible snap at
It, so as to cut it almost entirely from the
hook. Down to the bottom sank the
minnow, and down after it darted Mr..
Trout, gobbling it down at mouthful
knowing that it was now safe to do so.
Well, that was pretty sharp trick ofhis,
and it was just that gamy way of doing
things under the surface that had COM
pelled me to move so frequently. How
came that trout, and every other one in
the same waters, to adopt this identical
mode of reasoning, conclusions, and tao
tics, except by means of language
which informed him exactly what had
been the disastrous consequences with
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