Frogs, which croak a part of the night during summer, become quiet after midnight, especially when the pairing season is past.

"Insects and spiders are often found in a lethargic or torpid state; and it is probable that all animals in which no regular periods of sleep and waking have hitherto been observed have an equivalent for sleep in the state of inactivity and rest which they from time to time present."

Dr. John Davy ("The Angler and his Friend,” p. 74) says: "As to sleep, fish, I believe, do rest and steep their senses in forgetfulness, and this probably more by night than by day. I am led to this conclusion from observations on very young fish. These, about the darkest part of the night, when confined in glasses so as to be easily seen, I have noticed immovable, resting on the bottom of the vessel, and quite regardless of an approaching object, not stirring until they have been almost touched; so different in this respect from their manner when awake by day. Perhaps their hours of rest vary in some measure according to their age and wants; probably old and large fish, like the larger carnivorous beasts-the lion, the tigerrest by day and then sleep; we know that night is their principal feeding-time."

The late Mr. Manley ("Notes on Fish and Fishing, p. 15) asks: "Do fish sleep? It may be presumed, to start with, that they do, otherwise they would form an exception to all other vertebrate animals. I need hardly say that the fact of their having no eyelids to close would be no bar to profound sleep." At p. 16-"Query: Do they swim in their sleep as somnambulists walk in their sleep? But as to the fact whether they sleep or not at night, or whether they take an occasional nap or siesta by day, what is the evidence? No one, as the proverb suggests, ever 'caught a weasel asleep ;' and I do not know of any one who ever caught a fish asleep. A friend of mine, a good angler and ardent naturalist, adduces as evidence of fish sleeping the fact which, he says, he has established by experiment and observation-viz., that for above six hours during the night

in winter, and about two in summer, no sound of fish moving is to be heard, and none are to be taken by any bait, with the exception of eels, which are clearly nocturnal in their habits. He says, also, that he has constantly taken chub with a white moth all through the early part of the summer's night, but that the fish have suddenly ceased rising just two hours before dawn, and have remained quiescent until the dawn had quite broken."

We think that fish would be more often found asleep if anglers' observations were directly applied for the purpose of ascertaining this. We ourselves, on two occasions, have caught fish asleep. Once, on the Kennet, we, with a friend, noticed a large trout lying near the bank, a little out of the stream of a shallow; as we came up to him, although a bright day, he never stirred. We got close to him, threw a fly over him, of which he took no notice. We threw the shadow of ourselves and rod over him; no movement. We then got exactly opposite to him, so close we could count all his spots, and he appeared as if he was steadily looking at us. His fins were acting gently all this time. We again threw our shadows over him, waved our rods and arms; he never moved. We then, with the aid of the rod, gently touched him, and it was not till after rather a strong push did he wake up and dart with great velocity across the stream.

Precisely the same thing happened to us on the Test, with a much larger fish lying near the bank. We put our shadows over him, came up alongside, admired his shape, size, and colour; and it was not until we poked him with our rod did he take any notice, and then he rushed across the stream, making a great wave.

The question has often been asked, "Do fish feel pain on being hooked?" The answer has generally been given in accordance with the wishes of the respondent. A correspondent of the Fishing Gazette, says: "Please calm the conscience of the Amateur Angler.' Fish wriggle when on the hook because they want to get away. They do not and cannot suffer any pain-because they've got no sensory nerves. They have frequently told me so."

The late Mr. Manley says: "It is a question which must often suggest itself to the angler, and many must have wished that they could unhesitatingly answer it in the negative. I think they may do so." One reason he gives is the fact that numerous instances of the same fish being caught immediately after being previously hooked; but that only proves that the power of memory is deficient, which, considering the size of a fish's brain, can be easily understood.

One has only to study the nerve distribution in the head of a fish to see at once that relatively fish must feel pain when hooked-in what degree is another question. The nerves which supply the whole of the head in the fish are the same as those which are distributed in the head of most of the vertebrates. Professor Rymer Jones says that," with the exception of the ninth pair (the hypoglossal nerve), which are not met with in fishes, both in distribution and in number the nerves of fishes precisely accord with those of man. In fishes the vagus and fifth pair are usually the largest, and the fifth pair are the sensitive nerves supplying the orbit. The parts about the nose, the upper and lower jaws, indeed as far as regards the face the distribution is exactly similar to that in man; but in fishes it also gives off, branches to the gill-covers to the top of the skull, joining a large branch of the eighth pair, and issuing from the cranium through a hole in the parietal bone, passes along the whole length of the back on each side of the dorsal fin, round twigs from all the intercostal nerves, and supplying the muscles of the fins and fin-rays." From this description of the distribution of this sensitive nerve, it is impossible to say that fish. do not feel pain, but it is probably very evanescent.

The fact is, it is difficult to follow any sport comprising the capture of animals without producing pain more or less, and it is well to bear in mind Sir Humphry Davy's remarks, that there is danger in analysing too closely the moral character of any of our field-sports. "If," he says, "all men were Pythagoreans and professed the Brahmin's creed, it would be undoubtedly cruel to destroy any form

of animal life; but if fish are to be eaten, I see no more harm in capturing them by skill and ingenuity with an artificial fly, than in pulling them out of the water by main force with the net; and in general, when taken by the common fishermen, fish are permitted to die slowly and to suffer in the air for want of their natural element, whereas every good angler, as soon as his fish is landed, either destroys its life immediately, if it is wanted for food, or returns it into the water."

CHAPTER XII.

THE fishes about to be described are, with one exception (the Lampreys), to be found among the sub-class TELEOSTEI or BONY FISHES. That is, the skeleton is ossified; the vertebræ (spinal column) completely formed; the branchiæ (gills) free, and protected by a bony gill-cover.

This great sub-class is again divided into six Orders; each order subdivided into families, genera, and species.

THE PERCH.

The first Order is that of the ACANTHOPTERYGII (from two Greek words, acantha, a thorn or prickle, and pteros, a fin), distinguished by having a portion of the dorsal, anal, and ventral fins not articulated, forming spines; the air-bladder, when present, being completely closed and having no air duct. To this order—

The family Percida (the Perches) belong. Günther says: "In the Percida the scales extend rarely over the vertical fins; the lateral line is generally present, and continuous from the head to the caudal fin. All the teeth are

simple and conical. There are no barbels, and no bony stay to the preoperculum."

The FRESH-WATER PERCH (Perca fluviatilis) is found in a great many of the rivers, lakes, and ponds in England. It is more rare in Scotland. Yarrell, however, says that it is found in some of the lochs of North Britain, and it is pretty generally distributed in nearly all the fresh-waters of Ireland.

Day says the name of the fish is of Greek origin, signifying "dark colour," which probably refers to the dark bands across the body; "while this nomenclature has been