The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-07-22
Mr.. knOtt'S Invention.
INQUEFoIL.

Knott was about to sail for Europe. He
Informed his friends that sea sickness had
no terror for him. He said he had an in
fallible preventive of that malady. He
bought it of an old sailor, who had been
to sea for forty years, aud had never been
sick an hour.
And Knott said that when the steamer
got out on the ocean all he had to do was
to swallow a couple of those powders and
then the winds might howl and the pillows
roll, for no ocean that was ever built could
turn his stomach.
On the day he started he enjoyed himself
great deal, talking with his friends while
sailing down the bay; and as soon as the
ship got out on the open sea, and began to
roll, he took dose of preventive. Pres
emily he began to look solemn, and then he
took another. After bit he said his corns
hurt him, and he thought he would lie
down on the sofa. Then a sick look over
spread his face, and the steward asked him
if anything was the matter. Knott said
that he thought that coffee they had for
breakfast must have disagreed with him.
Then he suddenly jumped up, and flew to
the deck. The captain directed his atten-
ton to the beautiful sunset, but Knott
seemed to prefer to hang over the side of
the ship, with his face toward the water.
Then the captain asked him if he was sick,
and he said no, lie was only trying to see
if they were yet in the gulf stream. Then
his frame convulsed, and he began to get
rid of his gastric juice. He seemed to be
trying to bring up a breakfast that he ate
during the Seminole war. After working
down pretty we'll toward it, he asked them
to carry him to his state room, where he
gave the steward box containing the old
sailors infallible preventive of sea sickness,
and remarked that if the steward would
chuck that awful truck into the bottom of
the mighty deep, he would confer a favor
upon Mr.. Knott. Then Knott rolled over
in his berth with pallor in his face, and
said to his companions:
"Bill, don't old what's his name Huxley
say in one of his books that the Atlantic
Ocean is gradually filling up, SOS it'll be
dry land some day?''
- believe ne does"
"Well, Bill, when get to Europe I'm
going to stay there until the cussed thing
fills, and then I'm going to drive over home
if you please
Then he called for the steward, and the
conversation ended.
NEST BUILDING FIsHEs.-The anabatidcp
form one of the most remarkable of all
species of fishes, owing to their capability
of living for long time out of water, a
power which has formed in them some
curious habits. The anabas scandens, or
climbing perch, of India, has been known
to live for six days out Of its appropriate
element; and some will sometimes quit the
water and wander over the land, so far
from any stream or pond that they were
formerly supposed to have dropped from
the clouds. The German naturalist Dali
dortf states that he once saw one of this
species which had climbed tree to 4 hight
of five feet; but this is stated by other
observers to be an impossibility. This
power is due to the peculiar structure of
the pharyngeal bones, which, in cavity in
the base Of the skull, are dilated into volu-
minous lamina, forming cells in which a
supply of water may be carried for the
purpose of keeping the gils moist.
But the gourami's instinct is more pecu-
liar than that Of any other member of the
tribe. By their united laboIs, the male
and female construct well. built nest, in
which the ova are deposited, and which
protects the young fry from the thousand
enemies by whom infantile fish are pursued
| and tormented.
The body of the gourami is of a brown
ish color, varied with some golden tints on
it's sides; the belly is Of silvery brown.
The conformation of the fish is high from
its belly to back, and the body is narrow;
the head is short, the mouth small and pro
tractie. The scales are large and round.
The fish is properly herbivorous, but will
| eat insects and earth worms; and it is SO
voracious that, says NJ. DAIRY de Thier-
SAINT, the creoles of the Mauritius call it
the hog of the river
The gourami, like most other dndJdtidd,
is found throughout the East Indies, and
is a valuable food fish of delicious flavor,
resembling that of the European carp.
| Scientific american.