Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-07-23

. m II'N IT Hr NIh."N. ANINNA 80 INC % lAiflf ~
IFS, and fetch of bacOn-lile a
flea because he was biting every.
ones back, like q fly because he was
| in eveTyonc's broth, and like llolch
I of bacon because he would never
be any good until he was hanged"
FISH FROM THE SKIES.
The Late Shower of Fishes in Nebras-
ka Investigated in this city.
On the 9Th Of June last the peo-
pie Of Harvard, a town in Clay coun-
~, Nebraska, were startled by
rain storm, which was accompanied
by a fall of fishes, apparently from
the sky. These fishes, which were
alive, fell in large quantities. Many
of them were picked mp by residents
of the place and preserved in aqua
ma or in alcohol. Mr.. May, fish
commissioner Of the state Of Ne
braska, happening to be in the
n,ighborhood of HARVARD, secured
some of the fishes, and rs he had
business with Prof Baird IN tins
city, brought The fish with him to
Washington for thepurposc of hav-
ing their identity fixed. \ Sfdr re-
porter inspected the fish Yesterday
in DR.. Tarleton II. Beams labora-
tory, next the Smithsonian. There
were half a dozen young fish, about
an inch and a halt in length each,
/ preserved in alcohol.
1--WE often hear OF its raining
/ fishes" said DR.. Bean, rs the StW
reporter examined the bottle con-
/ tanning the fishes, "this is a case
ab0nt which there ia no doubt, and
which proves that the stories about
/ showers of fish are not mythical
am glad that we have had OPP
pOrtunity. not only to prove the
/ fact that fishes are raincd down,
but to investigate and explain what
appears 10 be ont Of The natural or
der Of things. These fish prove to
be a common species Of that region
tile fat head or black head min
now. How did they come to fall
from the clouds The explanation
is simple. They had been taken up
from a stream on pond by cyclone
action and carried through the air
until the force OF gravity, or the
rain storm overcamc the lateral mo-
ton and they descended with the
rain to the ground. AS the fish
were alive il is probable that they
came from a stream near the town.
A cyclone. though, would take n
quantity Of water up in mass, and
the fish might bc carried some dis
tamce alive. These mlnnows are
hardy and can live under most pre-
carious circumstances. They live
in sluggish streams and have been
found in water having 4 large per
ceutaec OF salt. We had one that
came from an arteSian well, , they
probably adapt themselves to sub
tcrancan streams. In fact they
seem 10 adapt themselves TO almost
any conditions, and hence it is not
surprising that they have very
| wide range, or distribution.
This theory of cylOne action"
continued the doctor, "eXplains the
distribution OF some species of fish
over regions sometimes separated
by natural obstacles. and which
cannot easily be accounted for 9th
crwisc. The young fish are carried
through the air and deposited in
other streams. This theory is more
important when we consider that
many regions which have no cy-
clone action now may have had 1t
. i'm earlier periods. Fish Of exactly
the same species will be found in
places far distant from each other.
The long.nose sucker common here
is found in Alaska. The round
wmtclsh or shadwater Of the New
/ Hampshire lakes is founG IN the
Tukon river in Alaska, and also in
the Island OF kadiak, sixty miles
from the shore. The little fish
known as slycrsides, the brook sill
vcrsdcs, has been known for years
in the Ohio aud Mississippi valley.
Lately 10 has been found in North
/ Carolina and Florida in IN entirely
. different water system. separated
hy mountain chain frow It's Orlgl.
nal habitat. Other instances OF a
similarcharactercould be mentioned
and need an explanation, which IS
afforded by the now established
fact that fishes are transported by
cyclone. Might not the cyclones
be valuable auxiliary to the fish
commission continued DIR. Bean,
with q smile, repeating the question
Of the sur reporter. DWELL, | am
afraid il would be hike a bull in a
china shop. If we could only har-
ness the cyclone, now, it might he
ofsomc service. LISA wonder that
this theory of cyclone action as an
agent in the distribution Of species
has not received more attention.
| It has scarcely been mentioned, eN.
cept by Or. Stearns."
DR.. Robert +. G.. StearnS, IN 4
paprron fossil shells OF the Colora-
/ TO desert, in mentioning agencies
and methods OF distribution, spoke
OF tornad0cs ami waterSpouts act
ing as distributing agents, taking
( up the waters OF lakes and streams
and transporting them with their