Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-02-24
SENSITIVE TO SOUND

ACUTE POWERS OF HEARING WITH
WHICH FISH ARE ENDOWED.
Were Made to Determine just What
Manner Of Noises or Motions Would
Startle Trout.
There are three phases of ems in
fish particularly interesting to the an
%gler-their exquisite powers of hearing,
Of seeing and their subtle, abnormal
constituencies to atmospheric influence.
With all our experience and study it is
doubtful if we have arrived at any
thing like a full estimate of the acute
se~nsitiveness with which fish are n
dowed. I devote this article to hear
ing. By hearing I must obviously be
understood to lea their power of ap-
preciating the vibration caused by
sound, the conductor being either solid,
aerial or liquid.
In man sound detonates the eardrum,
and in that way when - are under
water we discover little Ineligible
meaning from sounds. But the same
vibrations are undoubtedly received by
the exquisitely sensitive hearing intel
ligence of a fish, If I may use the
term, in a different and far more i'm
pressive way. By intelligence l mean
an instructive recognition by their
bodies of some disturbance, just as
man recognizes a passing breath of air.
1t takes the form Of feeling.
came to the conclusion that l
would make a few experiments. Here
are one or two facts: A friend entered
into it with me, and we b%ethought our
selves Of certain well known trout in
our preserve which were ALWAYS
there" Then We placed matched hur-
dies a day or two beforehand so that
the fish might get accustomed to them
in such a way that we could approach
close to their haunts without being
seen and watch the unsuspecting trout
through a small hole cut in the straw.
When one was not at home, the other
generally was. MY friend undertook
the noise making, I the observation.
From the sound of a gunshot 500
yards away, which made our trout dis
tinctly start, to the breaking of a twig
three yards from the fish, which did
the same, we tried all kinds of sounds,
shrill and dull and at varying dis
tances, and the sum of our experiments
convinced us of this: That our sensi-
lively organized friends felt the dis.
placements Of molecules through ether,
which we call sound, and the further
vibrating disturbance through what we
call water, which I verify believe con.
ducts sensation to the fish as readily
light to this paper, in proportion to the
distances and the character of the
sound. but that they did hear, or feel
rather, and with incredible quickness,
too, was conclusively demonstrated.
What they heard. and were not alarm
ed at / cannot tell, but when they were
alarmed it was evident enough by the
same kind Of start they give when thei1
chief enemy suddenly peeps over the
bank. In only two cases could l dis.
cover actual fright. the fright that
sends them down-a gunshot behind
the hurdle and a heavy stamp of the
foot near by. It is noteworthy that the
shrill sounds seemed to startle them
most. For instance, a policeman's whis.
tie at ten yards sent one out into the
stream as if looking about for some
source Of danger. whereas a shout at
the same distance caused no detected
movement. Their way Of shifting a
little farther from the bank when they
have an inkling of danger is a very
pretty side movement, well known nc
doubt. It seems for the purpose OF
watching the bank at a better angle.
The common Of showing
their alarm was by a sudden culver,
sometimes followed by a sinking down
an inch or two, as much as to say
Whats upY' I very much doubt if
ever crept up to my peephole without
being detected, and yet I was careful
for, if you notice, a trout one on the
qui vive gives no sign of alarm at g
second movement or noise. Once pre-
pared he is immovable till he suddenly
darts off. You may throw your great
coat at him. and he either braves it stol
idly or bolts cleans away. Five minutes
perfect stiffness and they settle back tt
confidence, and then they were again
easily startled. I fancy the laws of re
fraction had something to do with il
and that Eve from the sky they some
times perceived my movements. | had
often suspected this before.
Another conclusions: l believe they
heard much they appeared not to. A
sudden smack of the hands together
and there was a decided CULVER, but 9
bird rattle. begun very softly and grad
ually brought up to it's very loudest
and no notice seemed to be taken. Bu1
doubtless. like ourselves. however loud
the noise. the gradient robs it of it:
startIe. However fanciful it ma.
sound, Of this l am thoroughly con
yinced-that water is such an immedi
ate transmitter of vibration to fish tina
they recognize sound from the air near
" as quickly as man. 1t is no argu