The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-06-18
Fish That Go Ashore.

An old fisherman took o sclentlhc re-
porter of the New York Sun to a pool on
Long Island, where they found numerous
little fishes (killies) resting partly out OF
water, with their heads high and dry upon
blades of grass. The old mar also spun
a yarn about some large fishes that ne had
seen hopping along On the banks of o river
in the Malay country. These fishes were
recognized from the fisherman's descrlp-
ton by the man of science, who then took
his turn at telling fish stories as follows:
"The fish is only one of q dozen ortwenty
that are more or less amphibious. When
the Ccradotus is under water it brcathes
by the gills, but it has a habit OF leaving
the water and providing around on the
marshes of the Mary river. As soon aslt
leaves the water the gas in the air blad-
der is expelled with a noise that can be
heard half Il mile. The fish takes in air
at the mouth or nostril that passes into
the air bladder, to which the heart is now
pumping blood to be purified, instead of
sending it to the gills.
"The Ceradotus, which may be called a
dry land fish, is over six feet long, n
looks like a great eel with W pairs
of fins that compare with feet, and the
most curious part of it is that previous to
1870 the fish was unknown, except as a
fossil. These fossil remains were described
years ago by Professor Owen as the Cera-
dotus. Strange stories came from the Mary
river of loud noises that were heard in the
swamps at night, and the crushing and
rushing as of some huge animal. AT last
these rumors attracted the attention OF u
naturalist, who went to the locality, and
the discovery of the fish was the result.
They live on leaves and vegetable matter
that they obtain partly out of water, and
they ARE the last of n powerful race that
is probably doomed to extinction.
1.-THE killies are not the only fishes
that leave the water. Last year l spent
some weeks near O small fishing village
where there was a large eel pond, and to
say that it was alive with these animals
is putting it extremely mild. Some au-
thoritics say that the eel goes down to
the sea only once q year, but these fell
lows went out to sea every night, COM
pletcly filling the little channel so that IN
wading across you stepped on hundreds
that writhed about your feet and legs.
If there happened to be a dory or other
boat about that blocked the way, the eels
left the water and wriggled away over
land, presenting a curious sight, and
moving with such rapidity that 1t was an
impossibility to catch them. l thought
it might be accidental, and inquired OF
the fishermen how it was, and one told
me that several years before the entrance
to the pond became cloggcd by sand
after a storm, and the cells, finding nc
way of getting out, started across the
sand every night, forming passageways
by which they returned.
"In England, when a pike pond gets
too low to suit it's occupants, they, &C
cording to Couch, start overland in regu'
lar droves, and travel until they reach
some place better suited to their require
ments. This is true of a large number o.
fishes that arc peculiar to the East and tt
South America. In the latter country tht
cattishcs known Doras and Hussars, when
left in drying pools, travel overland II
droves, and are caught ir great mum
bcrs by birds and various ami
mails as we'll as men. Fishes o.
another genera, from North America,
have been found far from water. Per
haps the most curious is the Protoptcrus
some being found in Africa as we'll
They also breathe by the air bladder
when deprived Of water, but instead o
migrating overland they descend int
the mud and cncasc themselves into
ball, the interior of which is lined will
a Shiny secretion. and thus closed up, a
it were, they lie until the rainy season
comes again, and they are soaked out
In certain parts of Africa barren wastes
have suddenly become flooded, and thu
sudden appearance of fishes has givel
rise to ideas of spontaneous generation
as the enormous quantities of fishes could
not be explained on any other hypothesi
unless they had Mined down. Daldorf
the Danish naturalist, caught an anatas
a perch. like fish climbing a palm. work
ing it's way up by its sharp fins. Hence
these fish are called climbing perch. The.
don't climb usually, but they are perfect
ly amphibious, like a frog.
GAS II matter of course, these fishe
have been experimental upon. An Eng
lish naturalist put a blenny in IN aquar
ium, and at certain times noticed that tn
fish tried to jump out of water. TO SCI
what it would do, he set a stone in tn
water that formed a little island, and IL
q moment the blcnny jumped upon it
high and dry out of water. The expert
mentalist noticed that it was then low
tide on the beach, and every day at ex
actly low tide the fish jumped out npor
the rock, and returned to the water a
flood tide. 1t is remarkable that thu
fish should leave the water, but how
much more so that it should in a house
and tank know the turn of the tide"