Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-27
A QUEER FISH.
Taught to Jump Over Hurdle and
Leap Out of the Water.
Nelc York Sun.

"If you want to see SPORT" said lover
of animals, watch that cat.'' The animal
had stationed herself in the library door,
and was looking intently in the room.
In few moments she began to walk
slowly toward a large aquarium that
stood in the window, and with light leap
mounted the narrow edge, balancing her
self over the water. Next she leaned
down, thrust her red tongue into the
miniature lake and began tapping the
cooling water. Then came rush, and a
bright speckled object darted. A splash,
a clicking, sucking sound, and wall OF
feline anguish rose on the air. There
was a second Of wavering, and round
bunch of hair fell into the water with a
sounding splash, scrambled up again and
disappeared through the door amid the
laughter of the witnesses.
THAT" said the host, ''happens about
every day, with only slight variations.
You see, the tish, sunish, is perfectly
tame-trained, in fact, to rise to my hand
and take its food from me by leaping
several inches out of the water. Being
continually teased the fish has acquired
an irritable temper, and attacks every
thing that approaches the water. Some
time ago the cat discovered the fish and
leaped upon the tank as you have seen
her do, putting her head down to the
water. The moment her whiskers touch
ed it the sunfish had her,
and hung on like a good one.
She started back and fell to the floor, the
fish dropping back. The next day she
again made the attempt, 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 misto0k her
tongue for the meat | feed it with and
nipped it we'll. You know it is sometimes
said that fish cannot see what is going on
out Of water; this fellow is an exception,
however. Watch 1t now"
The speaker took a small piece Of cloth
and held it over the tank and within
three feet of the water. In moment the
sharp-eyed and richly-Lued fish was at
the surface. The rag was then lowered
and the prisoner leaped clear of it's native
element in it's endeayors to reach it. The
eXperimentalist next placed his hands in
the water, and the fish darted at them
and passed through his fingers, allowing
itself to be touched without the slightest
sign of fear.
1.-The suntishes,' said the fish trainer,
ssare, | think, the most intelligent of all
our fresh water fishes. / train them to
perform extraordinary feats, such as
jumping over a hurdle on the surface of
the water, and then over series of them.
You often see fishes in nature doing the
same thing. l have trained my suntish so
that it rings bell suspended over the aqua
rum, but, like Barnum's clown elephant,
it rings it continually unless a supply of
food is kept up. The sanfsh has its likes
and disllkes, and it has two fast friends
in pair of catfshes. Some time ago
| introduced Ia number of gold fishes
and all but one were accepted in good
fellowship. Toward this one unfortunate,
that was one of the triple-taIled Japan
csc fishes, the sunfsh showed the greatest
aversion, spending the entire time in
chasing it around the tank, biting it in
the most savage manner, and, seemingly,
urging on the catfshes, who, though they
would not touch the other fishes, would
creep slyly up TO the victim and, seizing
fin, cling to it with ferocity. I was OBJ
liged to take the poor fish out and place
it in an adjoining tank, where the very
sight of it still enraged the sunfish, and
yet, as | said before, toward the Ameri-
can it was perfectly friendly.