Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-07-31
One Variety Of Perch That Even
Go so Far as to Climb
Trees.
Singular Doings of the PeriOphthal-
mus, the Oldest Fish Of Them
All.


through it and walk along the bottom in
search of food | leave my readers to de-
termine; but il is true that certain fishes
do leave the water in search of food on the
land and many others 60 ashore for vari.
Gus reasons.
Some years ago ! spent the summer at
the little fishing village of 0gunquit, Ne.
Near the ocean was lake into which, at
high water, the clear water of the ocean
flowed, while at the ebb it ran into the
ocean again; so at a high tide the lake
was large body of water and at low tide
a very significant sheet from which
branches of rushes protruded
The lake soon discovered was famous
for its cells, the muddy bottom being fairly
alive with them. One evening it happen.
ed that was on the beach as the water
was leaving the lake, and waded out in
to the little inlet to cross it, when found
that it was black with cells of all sizes.
The moment they saw me scores left the
water and dashed away over the stones in
every direction making for the ocean, pre-
senting very extraordinary spectacle.
They seemed as much at home on the dry
land az in the water, and made remark
able progress over the stones.
That cell leave the water and roam about
on the fats is well known. Near any eel
pond their trails can be seen, winding in
and out and away to the ocean, perhaps
near at hand, all of which shows how diff
ferent individual fishes are. Thus a shad
Or perch would soon die, and could not
make single move for its protection, be.
ing utterly helpless on land. So, a robin
or sparrow would soon drown in the
water, while the duck is apparently in its
native element, which shows us that yari
GUS animals are adapted for different sur
rOundings.
When Americans first visited Australia
they found that the natives had many and
very singular stories regarding the ami
mails of the great continent. One was that
a certain large fish, the ceratodus, came to
the surface at night and wandered about
on the shore, utterIng noise like that of
bulls, in fact, a believing sound, Natur
ally such fish story was discredlted and
laid to the superstitions of the natives,
but finally one night a party of surveyors,
who were out, heard singular sound and
killed an animal which was moving
through the grass, and which was found
to be this native fish, that was weighing
its way overland for some purpose. The
noise was caused by the expulsion Of air
from the air bladder of the fish.
A party of English officers were upon
one occasion enCamped in Il certain por-
ton of India when their attention was
attracted by a rustnng sound in the grass
and leaves. Investigation shove it to be
caused by myriads of little fishes that were
headed in one direction and moving slow
ly on. There were hundreds of them NOV.
ing 10y using their side and small fins as
feet; now upright, now falling down,
squirting, bending; rolling over, regain
ing their fnny feet and again pressing on.
These fishes were the famous climbing
perch, about which so much has been SAID
and written, and they were passing over
the country to avoid a drought. When
the stream in which they have been spend
ing the season dries up they scale the
banks, and, directed by some marvellous
instinct, crawl to another.
The climbing perch was FIRST noticed by
a naturalist over century ago, one having
been caught high up palm tree, where
it had gone, it is said to obtain the
moisture that might be found in the crew
ices of the leaves. This story was doubted
10y many, but perch was found in the
tree 10y Mr.. Daldof, so the circumstances
may be placed among the strange facts of
natural history.
The most remarkable dry-land fish is
the one known us the Periophthaimus. The
little creature is about four or five inches
long, with big head, prominent
eyes, and side of pectoral fins that are
more like legs than anything else. This
goby, for this is the family to which it be-
longs, is a marine fish, and actually goes
ashore to get some of its food If we were
on the watch at low tide, say in Maurius,
where it is common, We Fhould see as the
rocks become bare various broad heads
popping up here and there, then big
tadpole-ike creature jumping from one to
another, or edging its way up the side.
Their object is to catch small crustaceal.ts.
Some years ago friend of the writer, an
ardent naturlist, was very much interested
in these little fishes, and combined sport
and collecting in a novel manner. He
caught his Perlapthalmi with shot gun.
picking them off as they hoped along the
muddy Hat rs though they were snipe.
In New Zealand the gobies uf several
species have this habit of leaving the wat
er aud scrambling along shore, and are
called running fishes 10y the natives on &C.
count of this singular feature. At
Whampoa fish called the sunghong is
often seen out of the water, while the
Chinese have what they call the pakkop
or white frog, that can live for some time
out of its native element These people
also speak of the aower-ish, or h4waya, as
leaving the gater.
On our own shores we have goby some.
what similar to that 1t is known as the
Gobiu> separator. Recently an expedition
of uaturalists in Mexico and lexis found
some of the little fishes and condny d them
ina pal; tkey remained in it for short
time; then, to the aStouiSment Of the Oh.
servers, several were seen climbing over the
top of the pail and quietly dropping down
upon the ground, when they proceeded to
wiggle their way TO the water, not far dis
tant. They used their p,ctoral and anal
fms rs legs in the case and succeeded in
making ggod progress. And when replao.
ed In the bucket soon tumbled out again
and could only ba kept in i by placing a
plank over the top of their prison.
In countries where there Is a decided wet
and dry season fishes are often obliged to
migrate or hibernate In the latter case,