American citizen., 1874-11-21
A Queer Fish.

That most curious fish, the anabas-
which respires and lives and thrives as
well out of water as in it; which has its
rampages upon the plains and fresh pas
lures as well as its gambols among the
weeds under the briny waves, and which
is even reported to climb aerial trees as
easy as it does the coral shrubs of the
sea-has been known from remote antiq-
uity to exist among the wonders of the
East, but never until now has it visited
the Western world. France is the fortu-
nate country which, thanks to the learned
pisciculturist NJ. CarbOnnier, has wei
coined into its aquariums living ana
bas from the far-otf Indies. There is
nothing in the exterior appearance of the
anabaS to indicate its aerial habits or
capacities. tbs purely "a fish in its form
alton, and its power of creeping or walk
ing upon the earth is due simply to the
fins and tail which control its movements
in the sea, and which belong only to the
tribes OF the finny deep. A post morten,
examination is necessary to discover the
secret of its amphibiousness. In the
head is found the special organ which
invests it with the faculty of living two
lives, as it were-aquatic and aerial. On
each side of the head, instead Of being
hard and rigid, as with other fishes,
the upper pharyngeal arches are di-
vidcd into fine, irregular lamine or
plates, more or less numerous, form
ing cavities and little cells
capable of containing a considerable
amount of water. The theory of science
has been that fish dies out of water,
not from immediate want of oxygen, but
because the gill become dry and unsuited
to Its transmission. Hence, Cuvier be-
lievcd that the labyrinthiform cavity in
the head of the anabas was a reservoir
of water which the fish carried full when
it went upon Its land excursions for the
purpose of moistening its gills when Oc
casion required. The French scientists,
however, have discovered that it is moth
ing of the sort; that Cuvier, so long an
undisputed authority in the matter, was
wholly mistaken; and that the cavity, so
far from being water reservoir, as al
legged, never contains water, but has sim
ply surface that secretes "A certain hu-
midity in which the air for respiration
is maintained. The anabas inhabits all
parts of India and the Indian archipel-
ago living mostly in marshes and inlets
which are occasionally dry. When its
habitaes are destitute of water the ana
bas, fish as it is, fees to the land in
search of livelihood. Its peregrina-
tions continue many days, and some
times even months. Nothing is more
curious and interesting than its manner
OF IbcODlOtlOu- NO SooHtI Is IL uI'H
terra tirma than it closes its mouth and
its opcrcules or gill-covers, and no con-
traction or fapping is any longer
seen; then, by general movement, all
its fins are erected, the pectorals being
extended like two arms the fish supports
itself in an upright position by means of
strokes right and left with its Hil; and
aided by an inferior propulsion of the
anal fin it progresses with a lively and
easy notion using its arms like oars as
it were, and sculling from side to side
alternately in accord with the strokes of
the tail. AS to the ability of the anabas
to climb trees, modern skepticism gen
orally regards that merely ii fish story,
although enthusiastic naturalists con
tinue to assert the fact, and even to yer
ify by statements which challenge both
charity and incredulity. In the latter
part of the last century IL Danish gentle
man, NJ Duldortf, communicated an ac-
count of the habits of the anabas to the
Linn;ean Society of London, i'll which he
stated that he had himself seen it in the
act of ascending palm tree, and had
taken it at Il height of five feet from the
ground And NJ. de la Blanchere, from
whose statement in La Nature we have
derived the fact here given, atlirms that
a friend assured him that he had shot an
anabas in IA tree. In view of this mar
yelous assurance, NJ. Blanchere naiveiy
remarks that truth is sometimes stranger
than ficlion.-B0st0R Trdcel}er.