登陆注册
4698900000048

第48章

Apart from the irritation caused by lice and what are nicknamed fleas, fish are met with in a state so motionless that one might easily catch them by hand; and, as a matter of fact, these little creatures, if the fish remain long in one position, will attack them in myriads and devour them. For these parasites are found in the depths of the sea, and are so numerous that they devour any bait made of fish's flesh if it be left long on the ground at the bottom;and fishermen often draw up a cluster of them, all clinging on to the bait.

But it is from the following facts that we may more reasonably infer that fishes sleep. Very often it is possible to take a fish off its guard so far as to catch hold of it or to give it a blow unawares; and all the while that you are preparing to catch or strike it, the fish is quite still but for a slight motion of the tail. And it is quite obvious that the animal is sleeping, from its movements if any disturbance be made during its repose; for it moves just as you would expect in a creature suddenly awakened. Further, owing to their being asleep, fish may be captured by torchlight. The watchmen in the tunny-fishery often take advantage of the fish being asleep to envelop them in a circle of nets; and it is quite obvious that they were thus sleeping by their lying still and allowing the glistening under-parts of their bodies to become visible, while the capture is taking Place. They sleep in the night-time more than during the day; and so soundly at night that you may cast the net without making them stir. Fish, as a general rule, sleep close to the ground, or to the sand or to a stone at the bottom, or after concealing themselves under a rock or the ground. Flat fish go to sleep in the sand; and they can be distinguished by the outlines of their shapes in the sand, and are caught in this position by being speared with pronged instruments. The basse, the chrysophrys or gilt-head, the mullet, and fish of the like sort are often caught in the daytime by the prong owing to their having been surprised when sleeping; for it is scarcely probable that fish could be pronged while awake. Cartilaginous fish sleep at times so soundly that they may be caught by hand. The dolphin and the whale, and all such as are furnished with a blow-hole, sleep with the blow-hole over the surface of the water, and breathe through the blow-hole while they keep up a quiet flapping of their fins; indeed, some mariners assure us that they have actually heard the dolphin snoring.

Molluscs sleep like fishes, and crustaceans also. It is plain also that insects sleep; for there can be no mistaking their condition of motionless repose. In the bee the fact of its being asleep is very obvious; for at night-time bees are at rest and cease to hum. But the fact that insects sleep may be very well seen in the case of common every-day creatures; for not only do they rest at night-time from dimness of vision (and, by the way, all hard-eyed creatures see but indistinctly), but even if a lighted candle be presented they continue sleeping quite as soundly.

Of all animals man is most given to dreaming. Children and infants do not dream, but in most cases dreaming comes on at the age of four or five years. Instances have been known of full-grown men and women that have never dreamed at all; in exceptional cases of this kind, it has been observed that when a dream occurs in advanced life it prognosticates either actual dissolution or a general break-up of the system.

So much then for sensation and for the phenomena of sleeping and of awakening.

11

同类推荐
  • 大乐金刚不空真实三昧耶经般若波罗蜜多理趣释

    大乐金刚不空真实三昧耶经般若波罗蜜多理趣释

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 仪礼

    仪礼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Liber Amoris

    Liber Amoris

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说医喻经

    佛说医喻经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 六十种曲赠书记

    六十种曲赠书记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 人间风月如尘土

    人间风月如尘土

    爱情,是不早不晚,我刚刚好爱上你。遗憾,是不晚不早,你刚刚好错过我。宁初曾经甘愿为霍严朗飞蛾扑火,却在垂死之际,只换来他冷冰冰的一句:她的事,与我无关。可当她化为一滩血水,他捧着她的遗骸,竟然心痛到不能自已。从此,她变成他心口的一道伤疤,永远也不能愈合。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 末世之生死离别

    末世之生死离别

    当末世来临,秩序崩塌,人类该如何选择前进的道路。
  • 游戏生物代理人

    游戏生物代理人

    带着能召唤游戏生物的能力来到魔幻世界,从此皮特男爵开始了他的征服之路。您需要打手护卫?雇佣剑士和流浪骑士?吃苦耐劳的牛头人或者叫嚷着口号不怕牺牲的绿皮兽人似乎是更好的选择。贵族俱乐部需要侍女?精灵女仆或猫耳娘?不如选择来自地狱的火辣魅魔或欲魔!莫非您需要更重口的触须怪?
  • 金动天下

    金动天下

    秦朝,丹凝与丹霄姐弟俩因战争失散,丹凝辗转进宫当职,为了偿还吕不韦救命恩情,她冒险出宫帮吕不韦医治怪疾,因此被吕不韦爱上并强占为妻,但她一直未曾放弃寻找弟弟丹霄。丹霄孑然飘零,先是在酒坊做工,与酒坊老板女儿李诗缨互生爱意,后奔赴咸阳开了玉馆,又与花魁连羽桐,铸剑师的孙女虞清音(虞姬)产生剪不断的爱恨纠葛……与丹凝重逢后,丹霄心疼姐姐遭遇,故而要向吕不韦和嬴政复仇。时势造就了丹霄的命运,他的野心和才华促使他背地里运筹帷幄,运用货币金钱的力量谋势养兵,成了亲王嬴政的心腹大患。咸阳城百姓称颂丹霄为“金大人”,却没有人知道他的真实身份。
  • 猎鲨

    猎鲨

    生活在这个蓝色星球上的人们本来可以和平共处,可以过上温馨幸福的和平生活,可是为什么还会有战争发动?答案只有一个,是那些对资源充满了欲望的极端自私的人鼓动了战争的暴发。在和平的年代里,极少数有欲望的人渴望战争。而在战争的年代里,几乎所有的人都渴望和平!
  • 耍宝狂妃萌翻傻王爷

    耍宝狂妃萌翻傻王爷

    周宝儿,夜洛国首富的女儿,古灵精怪,聪慧无比,一朝失算,被迫嫁于夜洛国有名的傻子王爷。她本是21世纪最正常雇佣兵,不知哪位神仙打盹,害她嗝屁穿越,成了她,周宝儿。苏慕哲:夜洛国有名的傻子王爷,各个巧合间,他真的傻吗?大婚日,她报着必离的心态嫁给他。谁知竟还有小妾不省心,姐就拨点时间陪你们玩玩吧。他皇帝的贤妃敢打她老爹的屁股,她非斗得她心疼肺疼永无宁日。这是一个扮猪吃老虎,时不时霸气侧露的女主。这是一个表面平静,背地为皇位不惜弑杀亲兄弟,胜者为王的时代。这是一个宠夫宠到没边的故事。
  • 残酷收购

    残酷收购

    为了同心居心叵测地收购大光明的事情的失收,厂长夏大成高兴得一夜没合眼,同时,他反复地思考着怎么向上级交代才好。大光明建设机械厂是个中型的国有企业,有职工一千二百多人,因效益不好,拖欠职工十一个月的工资。夏大成当厂长纯属偶然。他的前任厂长刘伟民说是出国考察,席卷起全厂职工三千多万集资建房款去澳洲一个岛国定居了。这真是雪上加霜,全厂一下子乱了。于是身任技术科科长的、三十二岁的夏大成就被拎出来当了厂长。夏大成是机械制造专业硕士,技术在厂里是顶尖的。
  • 倾国红妆

    倾国红妆

    本是小山村平凡女子,为保护家人自愿进宫为妃,却不料家人最终难逃一死!失去了唯一的羁绊,她剩下的只有仇恨!主导后宫争斗,引起纷纷战争,只为报仇:“既然不让我爱的人活,那么就用整个周国来陪葬吧!”
  • 方嫣的眼

    方嫣的眼

    一个弱视女教师一座吞噬生命的13号病房一个像守护天使的男护士一个偷窥偷拍的变態狂一个虐恋到虐杀到此仇不报枉为人,孤独寂寞所导致一发不可收拾的死局
  • 断肠词

    断肠词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。