The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-05-19
UNDER THE WATER

The way that fish live, their structure
and motion, are exceedingly curious,
and only afford fresh proofs of the wis
dom and power of God for all must
know that in order to live in water the
bodies of creatures must be very differ
emily made from those which live only
upon land, aud this is the first peculiar
ity we find in both the exterior and in
terror structure Of fish,
'HWhy, =" you will ask, ''have most fish
slender. thin body. fattened on the
sides and pointed towards the head 2''
and the question. on a moments reflect
tion. answers itself. Why but to enable
them to swim and move easily through
the water
Why are they generally covered with
scales. if not that their bodies may be
defended from the pressure of water, so
entirely surrounding them
Why are MANY fish, particularly those
which have no scales, enveiOped with a
smooth, oily covering, but to preserve
them from injury and keep them warm i?
Their bones are peculiarly light and
flexible, and the construction Of eyes of
fish are both curious and wonderfully
adapted. Being in an element so much
more dense than our air, they could see
nothing, and, indeed. would be blinded
by the strong reflection of the ravs of
light were it not for the sperical or
globe like form of the portion OF the eve
known rs the crystalline humOr. by
which the rays of light are so much bet
ter collected.
Although they have no eyelids. and
cannot even draw back their eyes. the
intense hardness and horn-Iike nature of
the cornea preserves them from all dan
ger. Their fins are, then, only limbs,
and by them they perform all the differ
ent motions.
BY means of the tail fin, they move
forward the back fin directs the mo-
tiOn of their bodies their breast fin eHs
ables them to rise to the surface of the
water, while the fms under the body
preserve their balance.
The gllls are their organs of breathing.
They are placed, as you will always no.
tlce, behind the head, and are mostly
four on each side, the uppermOst being
the largest. They constantly take in
water by their mouths, and evacuate it
though these gills. Then the blood.
which comes from the heart and passes
through the veins of the qills, does not
return through the lungs to the heart
again (as in all land auimalsl. but is dis
trlbuted directly to every part of their
bodies.
But the great organ most essential to
hsh IN swimming is the air bladder. in
closed in the body, and connected with
the stomach. By means of this bladder
they make themselves more or less
heavy, as when it is inflated they become
lighter, rise and swim near the top of
the water, and when il is contracted and
the air in it compressed, they become
heavy and sink in the water.
The immense number of fish, and the
great variety of shape and size, also nIer-
1t our attention. In the waters Of Ger
many alone there are known to exist al
most five hundred different species of
fish, and one of the smallest as well as
the largest. Some are long and fine as
a thread /; IOnnd, triangular, etc. Some
are armed las il were) with horn, some
with kind of saw. Some have regular
nOstrils, through which they drive out
the extra amount of water they lave
swallowed. And many more wonderful
things can be written about these dwell
leTs of the mighty deep. But even from
this little outline we may learn of the
wisdom of the great Creator in adapting
each and every living thing to its uses
and its element, and truly appreciate the
words of the royal Psalmist when he
tells us, "They who go to sea in ships,
who do business in the mighty waters.
these see the works of the Lord and his
wonders in the deep. Mrs. Il. Mitchell
an Golden DdUs.