Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1876-04-06
An Essay on Fish.

Detroit Free Press.
Fish may he divided into two class
es-cod fish and fresh fish. The pro
priety of dividing them into classe.
will be at once apparent when we re
fleet that they are usually found il
schools.
The mackerel is not exactly cod
fish; but he comes so much nearer
being Goldfish than fresh fish that
he is for the present classed with the
former.
Fish exist in sizes to suit the pur
chaser, from minnows to whales
which are not fish, strictly speaking
Neither is the alligator fish: but il
we attempt to tell what are not fish
this article will far exceed its intend
ed limits.
The herring is not absolutely S
fish; he is a suggestion of departed
fish. But the strongest suggestions
of departed fish are smelt. The her.
ring sustains the same relation to the
finny tribe as the Egyptian mummy
to the human race.
Fish are caught by measure and
sold by weight-that is they are
caught by the gill and sold by the
pound. But they are sometimes
caught by weight-wait till you get
bite.
Contentment is the chiet respite to
the successful fishermen.
Surveyors are apt to he good fish
ermen, because their lines and angles
are apt to be all right.
The mermaid and fishwoman may
also be mentioned in this connection.
The former is good illustration of
what is meant by the ideal, and the
latter as fitly represents the real.
Many land animals are reproduced
in the sea. Thus we have the dog
fish, the catfish, sea lions and sea
horses. hut no sea-mules. None of
the above have hind legs and any
manner of mule without hind legs
would be a conspicuous failure.
It may not be out of place to men
tion Jonah in this connection. He
was not fish, but was once included
among the inhabitants of the deep.
There has been considerable dispute
as to the name of the fish that swal-
lowed the gentleman above-men-
toned, some persons arguing that
the throat of Il whale is not large
enough to swallow man. This OBJ
lection seems to be inconsequential.
Jonah might have been made in Il
smaller mold than other men. More
over, it was certain that he was cast
over before being swallowed--cast
over the rail of the vessel.
There has been much speculation,
also, as to the cause of Jonah's eX-
pulsiOn from the whales interior,
hut the theory most generally ac-
cepted is that he soured on the
whales stomach.
He was very rortanate in reaching
land, since he had no pilot. If he
had taken a pilot with him into the
stomach of the whale he would doubt
less have selected Pauncheous Plate
as the proper nan
Jonah was the first man who re-
tired from the Department of the In
terror, and Delano was the last one.
But we digress. Let us return to
our fish.
The Goldfish is the great source of
all salt. In this respect Lots wife
was nowhere; however, it would be
well to remember Lots wife"
The saline qualities of the Goldfish
permeate and percolate the vastly
deep, and make the ocean as salt as
himself. Weighed in his own scales,
he is found wanting-wanting con
siderable freshening. He is by ma
ture quite social, his principal recre-
alton being balls-fish- balls.
The Goldfish was worshipped by the
Greeks; but he is only half as well
treated by the inhabitants of Cape
Cod-he is simply shipped. Hence
the difference between the Greeks
and the Inhabitants of Cape Cod.
Small fish are usually harmless, but
parents can't be too careful about
their children to play
where large fish abound, as it is an
established fact that the big fish fire.
quently eat up the little ones.
The jelly fish is, perhaps, the best
understood of all the finny tribe, be-
cause, being translucent, it is easy to
see through him.
The greatest number of fish is
eaten on Friday, and the next great
est number on Saturday, because
those that are left over are warmed
up for Saturdays breakfast.
Argumentative persons are fond of
stating that it is grammatical to say
that the five loaves and three fishes
were ate, since five and three were
always eight. They should be treat
ed with silent contempt.
Fish are provided with air blad-
ders, so that they can rise from the
depths of the sea by simply filling
these bladders with air. If any one
is disposed to ask where they get the
air for such imitation, let him under
stand in advance that this article is
not intended for the solutions of pet
ty conundrums.
There are many interesting ru-
mors about fish which might be men
toned, but the foregoing facts may
be considered as of-fish-al.
A PAPAL brief is reported to have
been addressed to the Archbishop of
Toledo denouncing liberty of worship
in Spain as a great crime. Now, we
should like to know whether this is to
be regarded as an infallible express
sion, and if so, whether Catholics in
all countries are not to hold with the
Pope that toleration of any other re-
ligion than their own is not also
crime, for which the State that per-
-. I,