Educated Fish There arc times when anglers attribute great intelligence
to the fish they catch or lose. One suspects an ulterior motive in this talk of educated fish. Indeed, in the case of pike I have become convinced that they are short-sighted, often irritable and invariably of low intelligence. Going through The Descent of Man the other day, I came across Darwin's reference to an experiment with a pike that was once shut off from its natural prey by means of a sheet of glass. The pike dashed himself against the glass for three months, often completely stunning himself, before he learnt caution. The glass was removed, but the pike had been taught something and would not attack the, particular fish from which he had been screened, although he devoured others that Were afterwards introduced. I wondered how long he retained the lesson. Certainly over a lure a pike never seems to learn and rushes at it again and again. doubt whether he has much of a brain, he is such a thick-skulled old clown.
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