Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/42

28 he had followed to the very edge of the water. A person who had kept two small fishes together in a glass, gave one of them away: the other refused to eat, and showed evident symptoms of unhappiness till his companion was restored to him."

The longevity of many fishes seems to be undoubted. Some well authenticated facts respecting Carp and some other domesticated species, go to prove that these have attained the age of a century. But the Pike seems to be still longer lived; one taken in Prussia in 1754 bore a ring which testified its having been put into the pond 267 years before: how old it was at that time was of course unknown. "Cartilaginous Fishes," observes Mr. Swainson, "from the nature of their bones, continue to grow all their lives; and as many of these, particularly the Rays, habitually live in the deep recesses of the ocean, and thus seldom run the risk of being captured by man, we may probably attribute their enormous and almost incredible size to their great age."

The increase in size of other Fishes seems to have no definite limit, but proceeds during their whole life; their bodies instead of experiencing the rigidity of age, which appears to be the common cause of natural decay in terrestrial animals, maintain the elasticity of their parts undiminished; while as they increase in size and strength, they become more and more able to obtain and overcome their prey, and to defy their enemies. Hence probably it is a rare thing for a fish to die of natural decay; yet, when we consider the incessant warfare that