The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-10
some Fish WHICH WALK.
Curious Stories That are Told About
the Doings Of the Finny
Tribe.
Those Who Abandon THOR Nat
ural Home to Travel
on Land.
Many DO 1t to Get Food while Others
Have Various Objects In
View.

Whether ii Is any more remarkable for a
fish TO leave It's native element and wander
around on dry land than for = bird like the
ouzel to enter the water, fly through II and
walk along the bottom, says . San Francisco
Chronicle writer, in search Of food, ! leave
INV ;ounc readers to determine; but 1t 10
true that certain fshes do leave the water
In search VI food on tho lind and many
others 20 ashore for various reasons.
Some years ago ! spent the summer At the
little fishing village Of Ogunquit, Me.
Near the ocean was u lake, into which. at
hich water, tho clear water Of the ocean
flowed, while at the cbb IT ran into the
ocean again; 10 at high tide the lake was q
largo body Of water and at low tide q very
insignificant sheet, from which lunches OF
PUSHES protruded.
The lake l soon discovered was famous
for it, eels, the muddy bottom being fairly
alive with them. One evening it happened
/ was on the beach a. the water Was leav-
ing the lake, and waded out into the little
inlet to cross II, when ! found chat IL was
black with cells Of all sizes. The moment
they saw me scores left the water and
dashed away over the stones in every dircc-
ton, making for the ocean, presenting a
very extraordinary spectacle. They seemed
~ much Mt home on the dry land as in the
water, and made remarkable progress over
the stones.
That cells leave the water and roam about
on the fats il we'll known. Near any eel
pond their trails can DO seen, winding III
and out. and away to the ocean, perhaps
near at hand, all Of which shows how diff
ferent individual fishes are. Thus q shad
or a perch would soon die. and could not
make a single move for its protection, be-
ing utterly helpless on land. So. too, .
robin or sparrow would soon drown in the
water, while the duck is apparently in its
native element, which shows us that vsti-
Gus aninsls are adapted for different sur
ruundings.
When Americans frst visited Australia
they found that the natives had many and
very singular stories regarding the animals
OF the great continent. One was that a GER
tain large fish, the ceratodus, came to the
surface at night and wandered about
on the shore, utterinQ a noiss like that OF q
bull. in fact. a believing sound. Naturally
such a fish story WAS discredited and laid to
the superstitions Of the natives, but finally
ons night a party OF surveyors, h wore
out, heard q singular sound and killed en-
animal which was moving through the
grass, and which was found to be this ma
tive fish that was wiggliEg its way overland
for some purpose. The noise was caused
by the expulsion Of air from the air blad-
de- Of the fish.
A patty OF English officers were upon one
occasion encamped in 4 certain portion Of
India. when their attention was attracted
by q r~nstling sound in the grass and leaves.
Investigation showed it to be caused by
myriads Of little fishes that were headed in
one direction and moving slowly on. There
were hundreds OF them moving by using
their side and NAL fins AS feet; now up
right, now falling down, squirming, rolling
over, regaining their fnny feet and again
pressing on.
perch. about which 50 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 spending
the season dries up the scale they banks,
and, directed by some marvellous instinct,
crawl to another.
The climbing perch was first noticed by a
naturalist over a century ago, ono having
been caught high up n palm tree, where it
had gone. it is said. to obtain the moisture
that might DO found in the ~crevices of the
but a perch was found in the tree by M.
Daldorf, so the circumstances may be
placed among the facts OF natural history.
Thu most remarkable dry-land isn is the
one known as the perlophthaimus. The
little creature is about four or five inches
IOn9s Will u DlS Gcdd, pEoIulicHb cyte aHu
side or pectoral fins that are more like legs
than anything else. This goby-for this Is
the family to which ii b~elongs--is a marine
fish, and actually goes ashore TO obtain
some Of it's food. II We we're on the watch
at low tide, say in Mauritius, where it is
ommon we should see as the rocks become
bare, various broad heads popping up here
and there, then a big tadpole-like creature
Jumping from one to another Or edging its
way up the side. Their object is to catch
small crustaceans. Some years ago a
friend Of the writer, all ardent naturalist,
was very much interested in these little
fishes, and combined sport and collecting
in a novel ann He caught his perioph-
thalmi with a shotgun. picking them of as
they hoped along tho muddy fiat as though
they were snipe.
In New Zealand the gobies of several
species have this habit Of leaving the water
and scrambling along shore, and are called
running fishes" By the natives on account
of this singular feature. At Whampoa, a
fish called the sunghong is often seen out of
water, while the Chinese have what they
call the pakkop, or white frog, that can live
These people also speak Of the fower-fsh,
or havana, as leaving the water.
On our own shores we have q eoby that
has g some what similar habit. 1t is known
as the gobius separator. Recently an ex-
petition Of naturalists in Mexico and Texas
1OuAo OAA vi ~ IiDnSp Cohh4Lo
them in A pail. They remained in it a
short time; then, to the astonishment of
tbs observers, several were seen elamberinR
over the aside OF the pail end quietly drop
ping down upon the ground, when they pro-
cseded to wriggle their way to the water not
far distant. They used their pectoral and
anal iEs rs legs in this case and succeeded
in making very good progress. When re-
placed in the bucket they soon tumbled out
again and could only be kept in it by plac-
ing q plank over the top of their prison.
In unit. les where there is a decided wet
and dry sessod, fishes are often obliged to
migrate or hibernate. In the latter case,
when they find they are unable to roach
the water they burrow into the soil, re
naming in this position for months, or IN
til the rain comes. This habit has been
made the occasion of Some remarkable sur
prlses. Thus, a party of hunters wore
camping upon the edge of a little depression
that was absolutely barren. A rain-storm
came up suddenly and soon the depression
became a lake. In an hour the croak of frogs
was deafening and an examination of the
surfnce showed that the place was well