fearless curiosity. In their large round beautiful
eyes the diver reads evidence of intelligence and curious wonder that
sometimes startles him with its entirely human expression. There is
a look of interest mixed with curiosity, leading to the irresistible
conclusion of a kindred nature. No faithful hound or pet doe could
express a franker interest in its eyes. Curiosity, which I take to
be expressly destructive of the now-exploded theory of instinct, is
expressed not only by the eye, but by the movements. As in man there
is an eager passion to handle that which is novel, so these curious
denizens of the sea are persistent in their efforts to touch the
diver. An instance of this occurred, attended with disagreeable
results to one of the parties, and that not the fish. The Eve of this
investigation was a large catfish. These fish are the true rovers of
the water. They have a large round black eye, full of intelligence
and fire: their warlike spines and gaff-topsails give them the true
buccaneer build. One of these, while the diver was engaged, incited by
its fearless curiosity, slipped up and touched him with its cold nose.
The man involuntarily threw back his hand, and the soft palm striking
the sharp gaff, it was driven into the flesh. There was an instant's
struggle before the fish wrenched itself loose from the bleeding
member, and then it only swung off a little, staring with its bold
black eyes at the intruder, as if it wished to stay for further
question. It is hard to translate the expression of that look of
curious wonder and surprise without appearing to exaggerate, but the
impression produced was that if the fish did not speak to him, it was
from no lack of intelligent emotions to be expressed in language.

A prolonged stay in one place gave a diver an opportunity to test this
intelligence further, and to observe the trustful familiarity of this
variety of marine life. He was continually surrounded at his work by
a school of gropers, averaging a foot in length. An accident having
identified one of them, he observed it was a daily visitor. After the
first curiosity the gropers apparently settled into the belief that
the novel monster was harmless and clumsy, but useful in assisting
them to their food. The species feed on Crustacea and marine
worms, which shelter under rocks, mosses and sunken objects at the
sea-bottom. In raising anything out of the ooze a dozen of these fish
would thrust their heads into the