Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-10-18

Il had a most peculiar adventure
once" said naturalist and traveller to
a party of friends. II was on collect
ing trip through India at the time, and
with party of native guides had pene.
trated country that was very little
known to white men, and as a conse-
quence had discovered some very inter-
estlng animals. 1t was at the beginning
oil the dry season, and we crossed many
streams which in the winter were roar
ing torrents, but now were dry beds of
sand with here and there mud spot.
Il was making collection of fishes
and asked the natives what became of
the fish when the water gave out. To
my amazement they replied that they
crawled overland to the other streams
where there was water. at first sup
posed that this was a joke manufactured
at my expense, or rather play upon
my credulity. But one night we came
TO the bed of stream, and there being
several large pools of water in it, we
made our camp. Before morning had
proof that the men were right. had
the tents pitched so close that we were
on both sides of the pools, the river or
stream bed being not over 25 feet in
width, and built fires to keep off the
tigers.
at must have been 8 o'clock in the
morning l was awakened by some
thing and found myself sitting up in
bed. A moment or two later, when
had collected my senses, l began to
hear strange rustling among the dry
leaves, and discovered that the ground
everywhere was fairly covered with
small animals of some kind that APP
peared to be moving slowly along and
rolling over and over, creating con-
tinual noise and rustling. / aroused
the men and soon had a torchlight,
when saw by its flames the most re-
markable sight of my life-nothing less
than swarm of fish out of water.
You have seen Q swarm of ants
covering the ground? Well, imagine
the ants replaced by fish five or six
inches in length and you can form some
idea of the sight l saw. They were
moving slowly on in an upright posi-
ton, by working their fins back and
forth, and every few feet would tumble
down and toss about until they gained
their upright position, and this is what
made the peculiar noise. The fish were
migrating across country and walking
just as nearly as any animal does, the
fins being used as feet, the tail dragged
along.
1.-The fish were making for the pools;
hundreds had already reached them and
were swimming about, stirring up the
mud. They did not turn out for any-
thing, but crawled through the camp,
the men even shaking them out of their
blankets and picking them up for food
when the camp was finally astir. | had
the novel experience of fishing ON dry
land, or picking up fish that were trying
to walk over me-"
These water migrations are often
made over long distances, and are fol-
lowed by tlocks of birds that prey upon
them. Sometimes the fish will even
climb trees, and for the time being are
as untishlike as one can possibly i'm
agine. 1t was generally supposed for
some time that the fishes carried SUP.
ply of water to moisten the gills during
the trip, but it is found not to be SO. the
little animals breathing air directly al
this time and becoming truly amphi.
bious.
In the islands Of Sumatra and Borneo
an equally remarkable fish is found, and
friend of the writer once had singu-
lar experience with it.
81 was spending some time" he said,
"at little native village on the south
coast, and amused myself by fishing and
trying our methods on the native fish.
One day was walking along shore,
when came to an estuary or the mouth
OF little river, about which a great flat
stretched away. II was dead low tide.
and all over the partly submerged mud
bank were roots of mangroyes and other
trees, which served as perches for yari.
GUS birds, SO, as had my gun with me,
l was tempted out on the mud fiat
where sat down on one of the man
grove roots and waited for game, which
was flying about in all directions.
LAS sat there wondering how long
u man could stand such BURNING
heat, | noticed number of objects
which considered frogs jumping about,
and taking comparatively long leans
coming down with splash into the
wafer OF some pool, then crawling out
to move along on the fast baking mud.
had very light bird gun loaded with
tlne shot that | had used at night for big
and small bats, and fired cartridge al
one OF the supposed frogs, rolling it
over But when | picked it up what
was my amazement to find that il was
not frog at all, but a fish, and one of
the most comical-looking fellows | had
ever seen. 1t was about inches long.
with large, prominent head, its ewes
protruding, giving it a laughable appear
ance. Its color was dark olive, and the
most remarkable feature was lis
side fins, which were enlarged so as Ia
serve the purpose of feet, and by using
them the Periopthalmus moved aloug
by series Of comical jumps. The fish
were not lett by the tide, as they could
easily have gone out with it, but they
remained in the mud flat in the full
glare OF the sun for a definite purpose.
which was to feed on various small
crabs and other animals which were
stranded on the flats The fish were
amphibious as frog, and were not the
least dlscommoded by the absence of
what might be considered their native
element, but hoped along over the flats,
now in the water swimming, now ont.
and later | saw one climbing the trunk
OF mangrove roots, In fact the fish had
all the traits of frog, and was an
amphiblous fish; one which breathel mir
indirectly when in the water and
directly when out In these waters
there are several kinds of fish that nos.
sess this peculiar habit"
Almost equally remarkable is the
habit of the African lung fish, This
creature iuhabits waters that at certain
seasons of the year are liable to dry up,
when the fishes would die did they not
adopt some expedient for relief. This
was discovered by accident by party
Of naval officers. They camped one
night by the side of a small dry lake
in fact, partly in it-tha hSttop, of