The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-19
domestic and local in their habits as hui

man beings-more so, for those of the
same tribe do not encroach upon the ter.
ritory occupied by their neighbors. To
illustrate: In 1887 company of us be-
gan fishing for salmon trout offPort Hope
Ont. The first year it wasn't an uncom-
mon thing for US to catch $50 trout oft
pounds each on 300 hooks. The next
year the number caught at the same
place dwindled down to about 100, the
next to so, and in less than six years it
was impossible to catch more than doz-
en- or fifteen on 300 hooks in the same
place. Moreover, the few we did catch
weighed three or four pounds apiece only.
We had caught that family all out. You
couldn't catch any more there for years.
had precisely the same experience after
ward, off Cobourg, Grafton, and Colbourn.
knew one old trout up there at Caledo-
mia that lived under the same old log for
four years. might do my best, but l
couldn't catch him with my tackle. He
always managed to getaway with it with
out injury to himself and to the demoli-
ton of the bait, when there was any. One
day boy came along with string and a
hook and worm, and he threw that old
trout right out the very first cast. gave
him S. for the fish, and was glad to get
him anyhow, after trying so hard and so
often to no purpose. That old fish had
studied my peculiar ways and means of
fishing till he knew them and how to
manage them, just as we'll as did my
SELF"
"And are trout the only species of fish
that you consider intelligent and saga
cious?"
"By no means; 1 think they all know
and realize about what's going on around
them. Take as another instance the lit
tie shad, three.fourths of an inch long,
with which we stocked the Hudson and
Connecticut Rivers. When we deposited
them in the river, on either side, they
would head right out for the middle of
the stream. They knew that there were
hundreds and thousands of larger minnow
than they which hugged the shores for
fear of the big fish in the middle, and
which would eat up the little shad too
small for the big fish to notice. There
was sound reasoning for you, and it saved
the lives of the little shad every time. 1
can tell you of similar sagacity on the
part of birds and insects, and certainly
believe these indications ofalmost human
intelligence are also indications of a Ian
guage, which expresses reason and in
stinct combined, as does that of mankind.
OF course it is all beyond my compre-
hension but I know more oft now than
ever before, and I like to believe in a
thing when such belief is only strength
ened by progressive study of the subject.
"One thing more, young man I'd just
as lief, now you're at it, you'd let the
world know that I do not believe there is
such thing as lot of blind fishes, no
matter if they do have to. live in water
underground Their eyes may be small,
but I~believe they all have eyes, if folks
will only take the pains to find them.
Come out here, and I'll show you some
underground fish, with eyes just as servi-
ceable as any other fish of their size"
Mr.. Green showed the reporter to a
little globe aquarium in an adjoining
room, which contained a gold fish and
two "mud minnows." The latter was
sent to Mr.. Green from friend in Ohio.
They came with the water from the bow
els of the earth into we'll forty feet deep.
In color they resemble the muskallonge,
though their shape is like that Of the
trout. They have eyes, and very readi-
ly see and follow the movements of their
feeder. They are mere minnows as yet,
and their maximum size is not detcrmin-
ed. Mr.. Green says he is positive that they
are fish of the underground species, and
he feels almost equally certain that all
species of fish are possessed of powers of
sight. Here, of course, he takes issue
with the explorers of the Mammoth
Cave.