"
You are right, for there would be no use for an eye in the side turned to
the mud.
As far as we know, fish are not clever creatures, but I have heard that
some kinds, kept as pets, have learnt to know the sound of the dinner
bell just as well as the lions and tigers at the Zoo know their bell; and
you have seen how _they_ rush about their cages, and roar with hungry
impatience when it rings. I have read that some fishes of various kinds,
such as Cod and Ling, kept for the use of the owners in a pond to which the
tide came, near a house in Scotland, and regularly fed with limpets by an
old woman who had charge of them, knew her voice, and would put out their
heads and crowd to the side of the pond when she came near, and even let
her take them up and stroke their cold backs; but I doubt that you will
find your gold-fish so intelligent and affectionate.
I must not forget to speak of the fishes which make nests, for very
few such have been discovered, and they are considered curiosities of
fish-life. Perhaps when we know more of the habits of the finny-tribe, we
shall find that some others provide for the safety of their young in a
similar way, but at present I believe the Stickleback, which not only makes
a nest but takes care of his young brood until they are six days old and
can "find for themselves," is the only one known in Europe. In Demerara, a
fish called the Hassar makes a floating cradle of grass or leaves for its
eggs, over which it watches carefully, being ready to defend it bravely
when attacked; thus in Australia, an eel called the Jew-fish was one day
noticed swimming round and round a clear place among the reeds, and it
turned out that it was guarding a nest of stones which it had placed in the
river bed.
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