Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1885 — The Vision and Hearing of Fish. [ARTICLE]

The Vision and Hearing of Fish.

But little has been written on the development of vision and hearing in fish, and that little has been theory rather than deduction from actuaL experiment. My own experiments as to the effects that sound produces on trout (and I assume that all fishes are more ©r less alike in this respect) have been confined to .'this: Frequently, when iable to observe a trout while myself unseen, I have;screamed and shout-' eel at the top of my voice. These demonstrations 'have invariably been without the slightest effect; but when varied by a concussion which would communicate itself to the water this has mo longer been the case, and evidence cf alarm, or at least that the concussion was felt, has been apparent. In an English work, the name of which I in vain endeavor to recall, an account of same very interesting and more decisive experiments are given. The writer caused a building to be erected over the water, and made his observation through small apertures constructed for the purpose, so that he was quite concealed. His trout were well accustomed to the wiles of the angler and timid. Sending a man out of sight behind the building, the firing of a gun by him produced not the slightest effect on the trout, who rose freely during the experiment to flies blown toward them through a tube. I am, therefore, convinced that no sound is injurious which does not communicate fits vibration to the water. But concussion upon the side or bottom of a boat, or jumping from rock to rock, ©r .blows upon the hard bottom with the wading-staff or with shoes, I think are so invaded through and by the water as to be in some measure perceptible to the fish and alarm them. That fish possess the sense of hearing their anatomical structure goes tfarito prove, while that they are not insensible to sounds produced in the air must be admitted, unless the doubter is prepared to call in question the ammerous accounts by alleged eye-wit-nesses of their coming to be fed at the sound of a bell, etc. This I, for one, hesitate to -do, notwithstanding I have mever been able to make a spund in the sir which seemed to produce the slightest effect on trout in water, to which fill my exper ments have been confined. Jt may, however, well be that ithe sound was perceived, while the fish were so habituated to the roar of the waterfall and similar noises, without any ill consequences ensuing, that sound alone was not regarded by them aemn indication of danger. —Fly Hods mid Fly Tackle, 11. P. Wells.