The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-12
A NEW POINT FOR DARWIyIANa

A NEW POINT FOR DARWINLANA
Recently the workmen in one of the Cali
4ornian mines struck stream of water at the
depth of 1900 feet. 1t rose with great rapidity
until 1t reached the height of 400 feet, when
Whether it can be further induced to vacate
the mine and permit the workmen to resume
their lab0rs remains to be seen.
flooded mine is unfortunately no novelty
Int the flooding of this particular mine has
led to discovery Of vast importance to scien-
tifc persons and fshmongers. The water is
not OF that cool and delightful quality pleas
ing to the temperance lecturer.
No temperance song has yet been written
which could be sung in its praise with the
least propriety, for it is not merely warm, but
positively hot. It is admirably adapted for
the composition of the sinful beverage with
which the Californian miner clarifies his vi
;sion SO that he can perceive the spiritual
snakes that are invisible to ordinary ewes:
but except in connection with whisky, sugar,
land lemon-peel. it is manifestly unfit for
thirsty men. In this hot water were, never
theless, found quantities of fifth of an entirely
Cave, they are destitute OF eyes, but unlike all
previous fish, they can live only in hot water
When the experiment of placing them in cold
water was tried, they Immediately showed
symptoms Of suffering from cold fins and tails
and presently died in great anguish. OF
course, their color was bright red, in conse.
oauercs OF the prolonged boiling which they
had undergone, and it is probable that they
were eaten on the spot by the hungry miners.
Thesexistence of fish in hot water will bring
JOY to the heart of the believer in natural Sc.
lection. tits proof that when nature slowly
and by almost imperceptible degrees heats the
water IN subterranean fish pond. the fishes
which insist upon cold water will gradually
die OH, while others who like o somewhat
higher temperature will survive. In time,
this survival of the hottest will result in the
production of fishes which regard hot water
as their natural element. This is evidently |
what has taken place in California. An en- |
tlrely new species of fish has been developed,
and the discovery Of the "Cypr;nus Brook. |
-synensis AS it is understood that the new
hot-water fish isto be appropriately called-is |
q strong argument in support of the theory of |
Development by aid of natural selection.
The importance of this discovery to fish |
mongers, keepers of restaurants, and house |
keepers generally can hardly be overestimated. |
If boiled fab can be caught, all the trouble
now required in cooking raw fish will be
avoided, and If it is possible to develop race |
OF fishes that can live in boiling water, it is
equally possible to develop breed of hot |
wrter lob tiers, or clans, or oysters. All tina.
would be necessary would be q close imita-
ton OF the processes of nature. If we
stock pool of water with Holsters, and |
slowly increase its temperature so as to reach |
the boiling point, in the course of hundred |
years we shall find the then surviving lob
sters crawling around in a beautifully boiled
state, and requiring nothing but SAUCE to fit
them for immediate eating.
Whether it would be possible to develop
race OF roast turkeys by breeding the birds in
hot house, in which the temperature should
be increased say one degree every six months,
may be doubted, since at high temperature
eggs would be Matched with such rapidly as
to seriously inconvenience q hen turkey of
slow and methodical habits. Still, the exist
ence Of living roast turkeys does not seem
much more improbable than the existence of
living fish in a boiled state seemed week
ago; and the day may yet come when our
poultry can be placed on the table without
undergoing the fearful risk of cooking at the
hands Of newly imported Hibernian, and
our fish can be eaten on the banks OF their
native caldron, without the aid Of q. frying
pan or gridiron.
There is but one thing which casts the
slightest doubt upon the possibility of the
development Of boiled fish. The California
@AAAAAOA0 AAoAoS tAAns lucy AoS0 0O0u LILO 0OLe
Ya.er fish Of the flooded mine with their
Ign eyes, and they can not doubt that
tasy make the assertion in good faith.
Still, it would be interesting to know il
they drank any of the hot water, in prop (
erly medcated state, before catching the
fish. II SO, there is possibility that the
vision of boiled fish was only a delusion of I
the Imagination. It is currently reported ;
in alcoholic circles that the California miner
often sees in his uneasy dreams whole me- :
nageries of curious animals, including not !
only those already known to naturalists, but !
other and hitherto unolassifed beasts, birds, :
and reptiles Of the most eccentric conforma- !,
ton and undesirable habits. II we are to I
class tie boiled fish of the Rad Dog Mine
with the insubstantial fauna of California I
Dreams there is an end of the exultation with J
which Darwinians and lovers Of fish diet have !
received the story Of the flooded mine. Lat I
US, however, hope for better things, and cling
to the belief that the Cyprinus Broollynensis" G
is blessed and boiled reality, until the con- J
trary is conclusively shown.-N Z. Times.