Milford chronicle., 1888-12-28
A BRIGHT BOY.
He Discovers That the Finny Tribe HH
Some Intelligence.

He Discovers That the Finny Tribe Aa'
Some Intelligence.
A Boston naturalist, visiting friend 3n
Massachusetts, city lately, was interested il
noting that the young son Of his host, Waiter
c., II years old, had a collection OF
cocoons and butterflies Of character that
argued no little industry and intelligence OF
the boys part
SIS he interested in any other branch OF
natural historyFn the visitor asked.
"Oh, yes" said the father, "he is always
collecting, and inquiring into things. Last
summer, while we were staying at Lake
QuinsigamOnd, he made what seemed to me
quite an interesting discovery
''What was it, pleasef'
1--WE had been fishing one day, and had
taken quite a number Of fishes Of all kinds.
Walter, as usual, took marked interest in
the fishes, and, in order that he might study
them more at leisure, l constructed little
reservoir out of a wicker basket which we
had with us, in this way: First we dug hole
in the sand on the beach, in a secluded place,
and then sunk the basket in the sand, so that
its upper edge, when it was put in place, was
about four inches from the surface Of the
water.
THE basket filled quickly with water, and
then we put the fish into it, and left them
over night, supposing that the height Of tho
upper rim of the basket above the water
would prevent the fish from leaping out
Next morning Walter went bright and early
to get the fishes but they had all disappeared.
''As it was quite unlikely that any one
could have found and taken the fish, we were
forced to the conclusion that they had jumped
out of the basket.
= ,1G
ing alone, and returned somewhat late in the
afternoon without any fish. 1 asked him il
he had caught none.
"'Oh, yes; caught quite a lot said he.
Where are theyP
90 In the basket
"'Won't they jump out, just as the Others
didr
'Oh, no-not this time, papa
81 smiled, resolving to let the event teach
him. Next morning he wished me to gowith
him and see if the fish were in the basket.
went, expecting to find nothing but water in
it, as before, but was astonished to find that
there were quite a number of fishes in it.
''Walter, you know, is a boy of extremely
few words; it is necessary to question him to
get anything out of him. So asked him to
explain how he managed to keep those from
jumping out.
"'Well, papa,' said he, I caught some
fishes yesterday morning, and l thought !
would try an experiment came and got
the basket from the place where we left ii the
other day, and carried it around there behind
that sandy bar. I sunk it in a place where
there was water enough in the sand to fill the
basket, but where if the fish jumped out they
could only flop around on the sand and
couldn't get to the water.
"'Well, when put my fish into the basket
out Of the pail, l stayed around quite while
where could watch. By and by l sa one
of the fish flop out of the basket and land on
the sand. By and by another one noPped out.
After while they had all jumped ont, and
were foundering around on the sand let
each one stay there in the sun quite while,
but not long enough to suffocate, and then,
I when all were pretty thoroughly punished, !
/ put them, one by one, back in the basket.
After every one had jumped out, I was
curious to see whether they would jump a
second time. Two of them did leap out
/ again, and let those stay out on the hot
/ sand little longer than 1 did the first time.
l Then put them back in the basket
% No more tried to jump out, and was
sure that they had learned their lessolL Sc
/ took the basket, and pulled it along through
Wv "e@eSA " eHo same tAoNS "HeAS w H.'- a.
/ before, and sunk it there. And you see, none
| of the fishes have jumped out They're all
here, every oneP
walter was so gleeful over the success Of
his experiment that he had really become
/ quite talkative. He had, it was plain, sue
ceeded in conveying it to the intelligence OF
these fishes, by an experience very un-
1 pleasant to them, that they had better not
1 leap out of the basket -
As his story is a true one, it seems to prove
that fishes have a considerable degree Of in
telligence.-Youth's Companion.