Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-01-14
FISH our OF WAITE.
Members OF tine Finny tribe Who Ciim
Troes and Walk on Land.

Members Of tine Finny Tribe Who Climb
Trees and walk ON Land.
Many kinds Of fish build nests in the
water for the protection Of their eggs,
but the doras make theirs upon the
beach. This they do at the beginning
of the rainy season. The nest is
formed very nearly like that of bird
and is built of dry leaves. which the
little creature goes inland to fetch.
When it is finished the eggs are de-
posted within, and these small fish,
parents cover up their embryo offspring
most carefully and watch over them
with great solicitude. The common
eel is known to have similar habit of
moving about on the land, and will
even live several days out of water.
When an eel is drawn from the water
and laid upon the earth it nj once puffs
out its cheeks in q very noticeable
manner. These cheeks are formed of
distensible pouches or sacs covering
the gills, which the eel fills with water
in order that the gill-fbers may be
kept moist, by which means he is
enabled to remain upon the dry land
for considerable time without coming
to serious harm. So, when the pond
where the ee. makes his home begins
to get dry, ne takes in good supply
ofwater and starts off to find another;
moving like snake in an apparently
sinuous course, but really in surpris-
ingly straight line, for the piece of
water he wishes to reach, whose direc-
ton he seems, by some curious instinct,
to know.
The Anabas Scandens, o. climbing
perch of India, is, perhaps, the most
celebrated of any fish which voluntarily
comes on shore, as he certainly is the
most accomplished in terrestrial feats.
He is little fellow, very like u perch
in the general form, with large scales
and spiny dorsal fin, and is to be found
in rivers and ponds in most parts of
the East Indies. When the waters
which he inhabits seem in danger OF
being dried up, he leaves them and
travels off in search of others. Though
he prefers to make these journeys at
night, or in the early morning, while
the dew still lies upon the grass, he
often travels by day, and has even
been met toiling along a. hot, dusty
gravel-road, under the full glare of an
Indian midday sun. 1t is, however
for his climbing powers that this ex'
traordinary fish is famed above al
others that frequent the land. By the
aid of his spiny gill-covers and tail fin
which he pushes into the creviccs il
the bark, he manages to climb treet
and even tall palm-trees. That he
does it awkwardly is true, moving
somewhat after the manner of
measuring or looping caterpillar; bu
the fact that he can accomplish it at al
is as marvellous as his object in at
tempting the feat is ineXplicable. Boat
men upon the Ganges and other river
where these climbing perch aboun,
catch them and put them in earthel
pots, keep them alive without an,
water often for as many as six days
killing them as they wish to use them
and find them during the whole tim
as lively as when newly caught.
The common perch of our own waters
while unable to climb trees or even t
walk about the fields, is possessed G
| great tenacity of life after being take
: from the water When given blanke
, OF wet moss it can be carried in az
parent comfort for long distances, an
in some parts of Europe the fisherme
will offer these perch for sale durin
; the day, and if not successful in di
posing of them will replace them {
, night in the ponds from which the
were taken in the morning, seemingl
none the worse for their outing.
D.. SwtsS Cross.