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Do Fishes Think?

Do Fishes Think? image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
July
Year
1871
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

A writor, illustrating tho qucstion wliethor or not fishcs think, relates tho following incident : The roach practices a system of mutual instruction on the banks of the Lohv - piense net to confound le Loir with la Loire, - whero stands an abboy. Öppo site the abbey, in the inidst of the meadtows, some cold springs of purest water break out, and uniting, hastcn to join the Loir in a broad, shallow, chilly streani which is known in the neighborhood as tho Gue Froid, the Cold Ford, and is the resort of wholo shouls of nmgnificent roach. Now fish have their perversities, :is well as mon ; and not a singlo angler for miles round abuut could -ever get a iish to takf! a hook in tho Gue Froid. One June mörning, M. Do la Blandiere tcsolved to try, employin"" a mode of ing unknown to those parts and conseqnently unknown to tlio iish of tho place. Eïery kind of fishing was practiced there except fly-fisliing, which detenniüed him to make the experiment with a line kitchcn bluebottle stuck on tlie barb of his hook. Scarcely had it touehed the water before one, two, thre", ten, twenty, fifty roach passed, one af ter the oiher, into his basket, until it made his shouldei's ache. He returned as proud - welL as Lucifer. But . nobody would believe he had caught them in tho Gue Froid. The only way to convince tlu: incivilulous was to tiike them with him, one by one, ;md by revealing tho secret, cnablo them to have the same sviccess ; which he did. The fut time, he and his friend had a lcss abundant catch than when he tricd the tiiek alone. Nevertheless, the sport was not bad. Thcy each of them took somo thirty roach. Everybody was now convinced, as well they miglit bo. Next day ho rcturncd to the Gue Froid with fourtoon companions. He got six roach ; nobody else got anything. The day after, twenty anglers went to work. Everybody's sharo was - exactly nothing at all. Xlie roach had coaipletüd their education. All tish, thorefore, aro not absoluto foola. But we sliould know moro about tish than we do if every angler was a Bavant, wliich would become oppressive to the reading public, or if every savant were an angler, which might De harder lines on tishes than tliey really deserve.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus