Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-06-05
A QUEER FISH.
Taught to Jump Over a Hurdle and
Leap Out of Water.

eff YOU want 10 see SPORT said 4
lover of animals. lust watch that cat. )"
The animal had stationed herself at
the library door and was looking in
teutly in the room. In few moments
she began to walk slowly towards a
large aquarium which stood in the
window, and with q light leap mounted
the narrow edge, balancing herself
over the water Next she leaned down,
thrust her red tongue into the miniature
lake, and began tapping the cooling
water. Then came rush, 4 bright
speckled object darted. A splash, .
clicking, sucking sound, and a wall OF
feline anguish rose on the air. There
was q second of Wayering, and round
bunch of hair fell into the water with q
sounding splash, scrambled out again,
and disappeared through the door
That" said the host. Happens
about every day, with only slight vari-
atoms. You see, the fish, a sunfish, is
perfectly tame-trained, in fact, to
rise to my hand and take its food from
me by leaping several inches out of
water. Being continually leased, the
fish has acquired an irritable temper,
and attacks anything that approaches
the water. Some time ago the cat dis
covered the fish and lcaped upon the
tank as you have seen her do putting
her head down to the water. The mo-
ment her whiskers touched it the sun
fish had her, and he hung on like n
good one. She started back and fell
to the floor, the fish dropping back.
The next day she again made the at
tempt, and in balancing upon the side
of the narrow rim her tail touched the
water. The fish seized it and in she
went, but she never seems to learn.
just now the fish mistook her tongue
for the meat with which [ feed it and
nipped it we'll. You know it is some
times said that fish cannot see what is
going on out of water; this fellow is an
exception, however. Watch it now"
The speaker took a small piece of
cloth and held it over the tank and
within three feet of the water. In a
moment the snarp-eyed aAd richly-hued
fish was at the surface. The rag was
then lowered and the prisoner Ieaped
clear of its native element in its efforts
to reach it. The experimentaIist next
placed his hands in the water, and the
fish darted at them and passed through
his fingers, allowing itself to be touch
ed without the slightest sign of fear.
1.-The sunfshes," said the fish train
er, ''are, think, the most intelligent
of all our fresh water fishes. | train
them to perform extraordinary feats,
such as jumping over a hurdle on the
of
series of them. You often see fishes in
nature doing the same thing. [ have
trained my sunfish so that it rings o
bell suspended over the aquarium,
but, like Barnum's clown elephant, it
rings it continually unless a supply of
food is kept up. The sunfish has its
likes and disIikes, and has two fast
friends in a pair of catfshes. Some
time ago | introduced q number of gold
fishes, and all but one was received in
good fellowship. Toward this one IN
fortunate, that was one OF the triple
tailed japanese fishes, the suntish
showed the greatest aversion. spending
the entire time in chasing it around the
tank, biting it in the most savage man
ner, and, seemingly urging on the cat
fishes, which, though they would not
touch the other fishes, would creep sly
~ up to the victim and, selling q fin,
cling to it ferociously. | was obliged
to take the poor fish out and place it in
an adjoining tank, where the very sight
of it still enraged the sunfish, and vet,
as | said before, toward the Ameri-
cans, it was perfectly friendly. IN
]. Sun.