THE " SCHOOLING" OF FISHES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sin,—Waiving pedantry, and admitting the whale as a fish, perhaps I may be allowed to say that it is an error to suppose, with your correspondent " Q.," that " whales alone of all the fish get schooling." I have repeatedly heard the word "school" applied by fishy people to salmon and other finny creatures that swim. I have also seen a similar use of the word in fishy litera- ture. I have heard country fishermen, with peculiarities of local accent and vocalisation, say a " skole " of fish, or a " shool " of fish. The use of the word " school" applied to salmon was once explained to me by a reference to the old-world way of the schoolmaster, calling for his scholars one after another at their
houses, and so going along with a train of boys behind him. But of this explanation I say nothing.
Is it too late or too much to say a word about "Blindfold Chess " also ? Unfortunately I posted away at once the Spectator which contained your article. But, on the whole, I am unable to see how the picturing-faculty (which must, of course, count for much) can do its work here without an act of memory in- volved. There must surely be a continuous, subtle action of memory, using as its instrument a sort of (what should we call it ?) chess-logarithm, at every turn? I mean, it looks meta.. physically impossible that it should be otherwise. But perhaps I have not seized the point.—I am, Sir, &c.,
MATTHEW BROWNE.
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