The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-16
SOME QUEER FISHES
STRING OF LEGENDS THAI WOULD
MAKE AN OIL ALT BLUSH.
Remarkable Tales of Finny Creatures
That Climb Trees, Burrow In the
Earth and Sing Songs.
London Standard.

! stem of a palm tree five feet above the
ground, and still mounting upwards, even
Sir Joseph's acceptance of his tale did not
preserve that officer from an outburst OF
universal mockery. 1t was asked,
with reason, what on earth the
fish expected to find useful for its
purposes at the top of a palm tree?
The earliest reporter Of this fact,
Abouzeyd, who wrote In the ninth CEN
fury, had a sufficient explanation. He was
not bothered with science. The creature
went up to feed on fruit, and when salts
fled it returned to the water. But this
would not do for the savants even a hum
dred years ago. They pointed out that
percha scandens lives on water insects.
that it could not and would not eat fruit,
and that if it's fins and gill covers be so
framed that it might possibly climb a
tree. hey are so framed also that 1t could
not make even an effort to descend. Their
objections are not yet answered, nor, so
far as we are aware, had any fish since
been caught five feet above the ground.
But the habit of climbing is admitted,
whatever the motive.
In fact, the Cingalese cover their fish
traps with a netting because, as they ex-
| planned to MI. Layard, some species would
creep up the poles and escape over the
side. A few hours sojourn in almost any
tropic realm will convince the stranger
that fish can climb, If he spend them on
The funny little mud fish scurry and
| paddle there all day long. mounting TO the
top of the rocks, however smooth, running
up and down the mangrove roots as active
almost as lizards. Not least curious or
their pecuiiarities is the trick or running
over the surface of the water a distance
which seems bounded only by their inciina-
ton.
| ring exaggeration-they almost bound. The
morachung of Boctan is most famous. 1t
| is never caught in rivers or even in stand
ing ponds, though, as some accounts say,
it's abiding places always communicate
with water, SO that it can return to its
native element when SO disposed.
However that may be, they are caught,
not by hook or net, but by the spade, and
they are worth some digging-two feet long,
ways in pairs. Plenty of other species are
taken in the same way during the hot
months, and plenty more divert themselves
with a stroll on dry land occasionally. Sir
r. Schomberg saw negroes going out to
fish in the jungles of Guiana with nothing
but a basket or two, and they brought back
as many as they could carry.
FISH WALKING ON LAND.
Sir John Bowring constantly observed the
fish so ashore and 'lose themselves
amongst the trees upon the Siamese river
Meinam. Mr.. Morris was inspecting a
leaking tank by Trincomalee when heavy
rain came on. His man suddenly raised a
shout and galloped UP a knoll" the far
side of w~hich-that distant from the tank
proved to be alive with fish climbing up
ward at prodigious speed: we are to sup
pose that they had left the pool when the
knowing that the rain would refill it.
AS for b~urrowing fishes they are number
less. We have a grave report OF one
species found nineteen feet below the sur
L face of a field. 1T is not necessary to be-
lieve this. But in Abyssinia they are dug
up six feet or more below the river bed
when it is dry. So common is this ex-
cavating in Ceylon that an ingenious magis-
trate was enabled to decide a question OF
ndmark which seemed hopeless by TAX
ing advantage of Ii.
One native accused another of diverting
the course of the stream which. was the
ancient boundary or their respective lands,
thus securing a strip which did not belong
to him. There was evidence on both sides,
to point out the original channel, and now
dry ground. and there he dug.
At the proper depth fish we're found
these odd creatures can live for a perma-
nency without moisture. But the jury were
satisfied, and the guilty man confessed.
Jest. We have it, indeed. ON the grave
authority of Valentyn, the learned his
torian and naturalist of Dutch India. that
a mermaid was taught not only to speak,
but TO spin and to understand the tenets
of Christianity; but a mermaid is not quite
a fish.
1t is not commonly believed that fishes
have any power of utterance. but, although
the fact is not proved absolutely yet. SC
far as we have read, there is such a mass
of testimony from divers regions, contrib.
uted by observers of such credit, that the
fact is no longer doubtful
Sir Spencer st. John recounts that in
one OF his Bornean expeditions he con-
tinually heard a booming sound which rose
individually from the water; his Malay crew
asserted that it was made by a fish, OF
which they caught a specimen presently. II
we may trust our recollection of the pas,
to be a creature resembling the lamprey in
the respect that it attached itself to the
boat: similar, apparently, is the
~occaljoc, the drummer fish Of the Niagara,
the voice of which is described as "buza
buzz"
SOME SINGING FISHES.
SO it is reported by Pallegoix that a
fish called by the Siamese dogs tongue
fixed itself to the timbers of a beat "et fat
entendre un bruit tres sonore ct meme
harmonieux." AT the mouth of the Pas.
cagoia river, in the State of Mississippi, q
bay on the north coast of the gulf of Mexico
and at Baltimore, the same phenomenon Il
asserted: in the last Nuisance they attribute
1t to a species Of catfish. The Swan river
in Australia, has it's ''trumpeter' and the
fishing folks of Lisbon assert that the cor
vina, which does not seem to be identified
utters a droning sound.
At Calera. in Chilli, near the landing
place. a very pleasing serenade is heard
sometimes. The music m that O
a harp. with a range of four notes a
least. The injurious people of the neigh
borhood have no theory about IL. Blu
a like concert is usual. at various point.
off the Indian coast, and there. OF course
its origin is well understood-that is. tn
natives NAV be right or wrong, but the,
have an explanation
DE-. Buist describes ii las long distInc
sounds like the protracted booming Of
Eoiian harp. the note of a pitch pipe o
pitchfork or any other ong-Grawn-ou
musical note. 1t became much more so
norous when a listener put his head 4
the planks Of the vessel.
Next day the boatmen presented Dr
Buist with a number OF fs1 which, a
they said. produced the muslc-a specie
! very plentiful. In size and share like on
perch. Sir Emerson Tennent heard sue
stories in Ceylon and he paid n visit 0
inquiry TO Batticalo3. They we're ampi
confirmed. To Sir Emerson the note
sounded like the gentle thrills OF a ru
sica! chord or the faint vibration of
wine glass when its rim Is rubbed by
moistened finger.
1T was not one sustained note. but
multitude Of tiny sounds. each distinct an
clear in itself. the sweetest treble minelin
mony deepened In volume when the ear we
; In Ceylon, however. IL - assigned {
mollusca. and Sir Emerson satisfied hin
self at least that the theory was consis'
ent with the circumstances. for the nnsic.
creatures were certainly stationary: h
coul1 mass hpxon1 fhef- range and ratur