Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/44

30 minute. Saussure found living Eels in the hot springs of Aise in Savoy, in which the temperature is pretty regularly 113° Fahr. But these cases yield in wonder to that recorded by Humboldt and Bonpland, who saw living Fishes, apparently in health and vigour, thrown up from the bottom of a volcano, with water and hot vapour that raised the thermometer to 210° Fahr.; a heat only 2° less than that of boiling water.

On the other hand, the cold of freezing does not always destroy the life of Fishes. In the north of Europe, Eels and Perch are conveyed from place to place in a frozen state, which revive on being thawed. The Grey Sucking Carp of North America, according to Dr. Richardson, may be treated in the same way. Mr. Jesse tells us that a friend of his had a Goldfish frozen with the water in a vase into a solid body of ice. He broke the ice around it, took it out, and found it to all appearance lifeless, and looking perfectly crystallized. Having left it in a warm room, after a few hours he found the ice thawed and the fish moving. In a little while it was as lively as usual. In such cases, "the fins quiver, the fish gradually turns itself on its belly, and moves slowly round the vessel; till, at length, completely revived, it swims briskly about."

We have briefly alluded to the value of Fishes as human food, a value which was appreciated in very early times. In the distinctions of clean and unclean meats imposed by the Law of Moses, Fishes are allowed to be eaten;—"whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat." Still earlier