animals

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Furthermore,

gregarious fishes, if fish washings or bilge-water be thrown
overboard, are observed to scud off to a distance, from apparent
dislike of the smell. And it is asserted that they can at once
detect by smell the presence of their own blood; and this faculty is
manifested by their hurrying off to a great distance whenever
fish-blood is spilt in the sea. And, as a general rule, if you bait
your weel with a stinking bait, the fish refuse to enter the weel or
even to draw near; but if you bait the weel with a fresh and savoury
bait, they come at once from long distances and swim into it. And
all this is particularly manifest in the dolphin; for, as was
stated, it has no visible organ of hearing, and yet it is captured
when stupefied with noise; and so, while it has no visible organ for
smell, it has the sense of smell remarkably keen. It is manifest,
then, that the animals above mentioned are in possession of all the
five senses.