Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-23
THE SENSES OF FISHES.
DO THEY THINK AND CAN THEY
TALK WITH EACH oTHERf

Evidence That They Can DO Both OF These
and sone Other Things Besides-They
Can See Only Under the w.ter--How and
What They Hear-Points for Anglers
Seth Green, the Nestor OF fish culture In
America, believed that fish talked TO one an
other; and the idea Is by no means an extrsv-
agant one
1t is conceded by naturalists that certain
insects and many OF the lower animals have
the power Of imparting mutual intelligence
by processes unknown 70 US The little ants
hobnobbing with each other. the cooling dove
wooing its mate vocally, the hen ciuckins
her brood under protecting wings, are famii-
lar instances OF vocal intercourse among in
scots and birds; and no one who has watched
the minnows OF a shallow pool, or those in an
aquarium, has failed TO see equally sure indi-
cations that fishes have a way OF their own
in communicating with each other. They
dart up 20 one another, put noses together
for moment, and then dart Off again with
an air as much as TO say, IAN right"
Old Eschylus, in one OF his poems, calls
fish 'the voiceless daughters of the unpol-
luted one;n but many Of the ancients and
moderns testify 10 the utterances of fish
Pliny. Ovid and others tell us of the Scarus
and its wonderful power OF intonation. In
the days of Old Rome certain fish were said
TO have a regular language, slow, sweet and
fascinating" and the Emperor Augustus pre-
tended to understand their very words We
have all heard, or heard OF, the various
sounds OF the gurnards, of the booming of
the drum fish, the grunt of the croaker,
weak fish and others. The grunt fish of the
Gulf OF Mexico is said to express discomfort
and pain, and when touched with q knife
fairly shrieks, aud when dying makes means
and sobs disagreeably human.
HEARING IN FISHES
The scientists tell US that in many fishes
no trace exists of an organ OF hearing; that
the tympanum, its cavity, and the external
parts OF the ear, are entirely absent; that in
others this organ is only imperfectly devel
oped, and that in the remaining few, such as
the shark, the shad, herring and others, there
is an odd connection between the organ of
hearing and the air bladder. With these
crude facts before him, the ichthyologiSt
leaves the angler to work out the answer TO
the question ''Can fish hearI" which is a most
practical one TO the careful angler in his pur-
suit of the educated game fish of our inland
waters We sum up briefly the conclusions
of an old black bass angler on this subject
Fish hear no sound originating in the air
Place "A cannon upon an India-rubber
carriage, sufficiently large and elastic enough
10 deaden, when fired, all conclusion upon
the ground, and Mr. Fish, after the explosion,
viii be as placid at his POOL as a gourmand
after dinner
But step as lightly as one may upon the
margin of n stream, and the fish will scatter
like shot from the shadows where they are
feeding or frolicking. The larger the fish
and the lesser the depth Of water, the greater
and wilder the scattering will he.
Again, any conclusion originating in or
upon the bed of the river, or below the fish,
does not appear To disturb them. This was
verified by this old angler one day upon a
large bass which he saw lying motionleSs
within foot of the stake 10 which the camp
boat was tied. The water was about four
feet deep. He struck several successive hard
blows upon the top of the stake, which pro-
truded about two feet out of the water,
without causing a dirt OF the Tin in the fish
below
Our angler at once concluded that the bass
could not hear the noise made by footsteps
upon the bed OF the river, when wadiug in
the stream, and, as the jolly fins could not
hear the conversation originating out OF the
water, anglers may indulge in social chat
and pleaSantries whenever inclined, taking
care, however. to be always ON the safe side,
by not becoming too boiSterous in their dis
customs or hilarity.
FISHES CAN SEE.
Anglers generally agree on the subject Of
the sense Of sight in fishes fish can see in
water, but not out OF it.
The shadow Of split bamboo rod thrown
across pool will create in a fish the same
skittishness as would be caused by an ele-
plant browsing upon the bank.
A passing cloud over "A shallow and pellucid
pool protects the angler and puts another fin
or two in his creel, where n moment before
each cast of his drove the fish TO deeper pools
or behind protecting rocks.
An old angling friend once said TO me that
fish were like ostriches in some of their WAYS,
notably in that they seemed TO feel safe when
their noses were hid behind a tuft OF grass or
In the crevices Of a sunken rock
Fish facing the sun, and forget not this
rule, even when the twilight is over the wa
tiers, by casting toward the west was the
law enacted by his knowledge, based upon
experience, of the effect OF shadows upon the
wary fins, who are more startled by unusual
appearances on the surface OF a pool than
they are by strange things below
Vision and hearing in fish being the senses
most important 10 the angler in his water
sports, those next in value are smell and
taste. The possession of these by fish seems
to be disputed point. They have evidently
taste In modified degree, as they will re-
ject the artificial lure if the barb OF the hook
is not Immediately imbedded in their flesh,
but on the other hand, they will take a leath-
er or rubber imitation OF the natural bait
with as much gusto as a live minnow or bug
hence the question is seesaw one
OF course, among angling naturalists, the
gift of the senses is, or at least they think it
should be, confined TO game fish, as they can
not imagine any dispensation Of Providence
that places the ignoble catfish or the snaky
eel upon the same plane with the ,salmon.
trout and bass.-W. {. Harris in Nature