The effort to clothe with intelligence subaqueous life must have been greatly strengthened among primitive nations by the musical sounds to which I have referred.  Those mysterious breathings were associated with a human will, and gave forebodings from their very sweetness.  Everywhere they are associated with a passionate or pathetic mystery, and the widely-spread area over which their island home is portrayed as existing strengthens the conclusion that the strange music of the sea belongs not to Ceylon or Florida or the Mediterranean alone.  It affords us another instance, by that common enjoyment of sweet sounds, of the chain of sympathy between all intelligent creatures, and better prepares us for familiar acquaintance with the beings which people the sea.  We have prejudices and preconceived ideas to get rid of, whose strength has crystallized into aphorisms.  “Cold as a fish” and “fish-eyed” are ordinary expressions.  Then the touch of a fish, cold, slippery, serpent-like, causes an involuntary shrinking.

But the submarine diver has a new revelation of piscine character and beauty, and perhaps can better understand the enticings of a siren or fantastic Lurlei than the classical scholar.  In the flush of aureal light tinging their pearly glimmering armor are the radiant, graceful, frolicsome inhabitants of the sea.  The glutinous or oily exudation that covers them is a brilliant varnish.  Their lustrous colors, variety of crystalline tints and beautiful markings and spots, attract the eye of the artist even in the fish-market; but when glowing with full life, lively, nimble, playful, surely the most graceful living creatures of earth, air or sea, the soul must be blind indeed that can look upon them unmoved.

The dull optic seen glazing in the death-throes upon the market-stall, with coarse vulgar surroundings, becomes, in its native element, full of intelligence and light.  In even the smaller fry the round orb glitters like a diamond star.  One cannot see the fish without seeing its eye.  It is positive, persistent, prevalent, the whole animate existence expressed in it.  As far as the fish can be seen its eye is visible.  The glimmer of scales, the grace of perfect motion, the rare golden pavilion with its jeweled floor and heavy violet curtains, complete a scene whose harmony of color, radiance and animal life is perfect.  The minnow and sun-perch are the pages of the tourney on the cloth of gold.  There is a fearless familiarity in these playful little things, a social, frank intimacy with their novel visitor, that astonishes while it pleases.  They crowd about him, curiously touch him, and regard all his movements with a frank, lively interest.  Nor are the larger fish shy.  The sheeps-head, red and black groper, sea-trout and other, familiar fish of the sportsman, receive him with frank bonhommie or fearless curiosity.  In their large round beautiful eyes the diver reads evidence of intelligence and curious wonder that sometimes startles him with its entirely