The Penn's Grove record., 1884-02-16
Fish Oat of Water.

Leaving the water" said an old
sportsman. lis one of the cOmmonest
features Of eel life, and l have often
observed it. 1t is merely to move from
one body OF water to another for some
reason OF their own. In a portion OF
Name that / am familiar with there is a
little stream That flows into the sea that
is alive with cells, and at night they go
down to the salt water with the ebb tide
and return with the flood. | have seen
them come down in such masses that
they were actually crowded out of the
regular small channel and the entire
fat was covered with them, wrigglmg
their way down to the salt water; as
soon as the tide rose they would go
back. After a while this river was filled
up SO That the fish could not reach the
sea, and then they began regular over
beach journeys and their paths We're as
we'll defined over the flat beach as that
Of u animal. and in DONG this they
mad to travel overland for s~eventy-fve
feet or more. In the winter the eels
disappeared entirely, a great puzzle to
the fishermen. Some thought they
buried themselves in the mud, but tine
fact is they 60 out to sea during that
season and live in deep water and to-
wards spring breed.
"a few years ago l was travelling IN
Fiji Islands. and being interested III
fishes was collecting all the specimens
| could. Upon inquiring for the best
localities one of my native men named a
long, fiat, paddy beach, where he in
sisted that we could find the fish hop
ing about. l was naturally i]ncreduious
but went around and found it ever more
remarkable than he had stated, The
beach was low, Hat and rather heavy,
and at low tide travelling was rather
difficult. We walked along neal the
water and very soon L say a small toad
like object leaping ahead of me-. AT
first L thought it was a frog. 1t cleared
about a foot each time, landing and
holding its head high. L made a rush,
and before l got to it saw it was the
IeapIug-fsh. Then began a race, the
strangest one in which l ever engaged
chasing a fish on dry land. The sand
impeded me and Tor sometime the fish
kept ahead of me, actually preferriLg to
take it's chances ON land han in the
water, which t.could easily have taken
to. / gained on 1t after a while and
finally got my hat I'VE it and landed
my game, II was about eight inches
long and was one of the Gobles, The
head was large, the eyes prominent and
protrudiug, and the pectoral or side
fms so strong that they were actually
used as feet and upon them the fist
landed in jumping, and as they raist
their head more or less it gives them {
very comical appearance.
Tho fish is really as amphibious a.
the frogs, and crawl and hop upon the
shores Just as a frog would, IN search o
a shelless mullusk that Is found there
In New Zealand are found allied tishei
that also leave the water and run along
shore. at Wampoa the native Sung
hong is a dry land fish; Its scIentlti,
name goblus jasciatopupctatus, and il
China a similar fish, caleG the whit
frog, or pabhop is carried ABOUT In,
streets by the dealer alive in a basket
Whit is called the flower fish, so com
mon ON Chinese ware, Is an equally re
IAarkaule amphibious hsh-the beteOph
Moiuus. The bleuny often shows
disposition to 60 out OF its native ele
ment, and one that was kept by al
acquaintance OF NINE would leave th'
water ut certain bmes and hop OF to
rock aud sit there for half an hour at
time"
"Do the fishes breathe air or are tn
gijls kept mOist?" asked the reporter.
That is a question" replied the isl
authority, 'tAat has caused much DIS
cusslon among scientists. The oil,
notion was that the fishes had what ar
/ called labyrinthme cavities, in which
they carried water to mOisten their gills
4 THUS their submarine conditions Of lTit
would not be disturbed; but it is nov
known that these cavities contain al
and the fishes, like the Per|iopthalmus
are more truly amphlDlous than eyel
frogs. The climbing perch of the Eas
Is I'M excellent example Of au amphl
bious fish. In India they are mucI
sought after as edible fishes, ana ar
carried 10y the natives from the marshe
osJazor to Calcutta, q journey OF nearl
a week, out OF water, and invariabl
reach there alive. They climb palm
evidently TO obtain TODD. This ha
been doubted by many, but the fish ha
been caught in the act by a prominen
) naturalist.