Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/370

  

observed a singular incident on a marsh near Lake Ontario. Some French Canadians had cut a hole through the ice, which was quite a foot thick, and bullheads were swarming to the surface of the water in such quantities that they were being shoveled out on the ice. I believe this was against the law, for as soon as the men had secured all that they could carry they hurried away. But still the fish swarmed to the surface, struggling with one another to get to the air.

On recounting this observation to a man who has made a study of fish, he told me that the fish were suffering for want of pure air to breathe.

Dr. H. M. Smith, who has studied the habits of fish, writes regarding this observation:

Dr. Smith has also sent ns the following quotation explaining that a fish, though living inthe water, requires the same kind of air that we do.