Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-13
How a Fish Recognizes a Man.

deny altogether that the cold -blooded
fsh-looked on with contempt SO far as its
intellectual powers are concerned-ls stupid
or slow to learn. On the contrary, fish are
remarkably quick, not only under natural
conditions, but quick at accommodating
themselves to altered circumstances which
they could not foresee, and the knowledge
how to meet which could not have been in
herited. The basking jack is not alarmed at
the cart horses hoofs, but remains quiet, let
them come down with ever so heavy thud.
He has observed that these vibrations never
cause him any injury. He hears them at all
periods of the day and night, often with
long intervals of silence and with every pos.
sible variation. Never once has the sound
been followed by injury or by anything to
disturb his peace. So the rocks have OBJ
served that passing trains are harmless, and
will perch on the telegraph wires or poles
over the steam of the roaring locomotive.
Observation has given them confidence.
Thunder of wheels and immense weight in
motion. the open furnace and glar1pg light,
the faces at the long tier of wlndows-al
these terrors do not ruff1e feather. A little
boy with wooden clapper can set flock in
retreat Immediately. Now, the rocks could
not have acquired this confidence in the
course of innumerable generations it is not
hereditary it is purely what we understand
By intelligence. Why are the rocks afraid
of the little boy with the clapper? Because
the basking jack off the instant he hears the
light step of a man He has observed that
after this step there have often followed at
tempts to iniure him stone has been flung
at him, a long pole thrust into the water; he
has been shot at, or felt the pinch of wire.
He remembers this, and does not wait for the
attempt to be repeated but puts himself into
safety If he did not realize that it was
man-and possible enemy-he would not
trouble. The object consequently of the
tricks of the poacher is to obliterate himself
If you can contrive to SO move, and to so
conduct yourself that the fish shall not rec
ognize you as his enemy. you can do much
as you please with him, and in varying de-
grees it is the same with animals
Think a moment by what tokens fish
recognizes a man. First his light and,
compared with other animals, DISK step-a
tvo step instead of four step, remember
two feet, not four hoofs. There is differ
ence at once in the rhythm of the noise.
-Four hoofs can by no possibility produce the
same sound, or succession OF sounds, as IS
made even by four feet-that is, by two
men. The beats are not the same. Second
" by his motions, and especially the brisk
motions of his arm. Thirdly, by this brisk
ness itself; for most animals, except man,
move with slow motion-paradox as it may
seem-eVen when they are going along fast.
With them it is usually repose IN action
Fourthly-and this is rather curiouS-expe
rience seems to show that fish, and animals
and birds certainly. recognize man by his
hat or cap, to which they have a species of
superstitious dislike. Hats are generally of
a different hue to the rest of the suit, for
one thing; and it was noted, century ago,
that wild creatures have q particular objec-
tion to black hat A covering to the head
at all is so opposite to their own ideas that it
arouses suspicion, for we must remember
that animals look on our clothes as our skin.
To have black skin over the hair of the
head is somewhat odd. By all these signs q
fish knows man Immediately, and as certain
ly as any creature moving on land would
know him. There is no instructive or hered-
itary fear of man at all-it is acquired by OBJ