Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-07
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MISHAPS TO FISH.
Accidents and DefOrmities That Come
to Inhabitnnts of the Wafer.

Accidents and DefOrmitfes That Come
TO Inhabitants of the Water.
From the New York Sun.
Fish may have deformties, just like hui
man beings. For instance, a fish may be
humpbacked. There are fish whose natural
shape is such that they are called hump
backed but aside from these there is oc-
casionally taken fish which is, in a great
er or less degree, misshapen in this man
ner. A fisherman tells of fish he once
caught that had a slight bend in it. When
in repose the fishs body was not straight,
but bent slightly sideways.
There are comparatively few fish that are
perfect, that is, that would conform i'm
every way strictly TO the highest type of
their respective kind, but their imperfec-
tons might not be blemishes, nor even
noticeable fmperfections to the ordinary
observer. In fact, in this respect, again,
fish are much like men. OF the men mel
in the course Of the day there might be
comparatively few who were really per-
feet, though the great ajority would pass
muster. The same may be said of the fish.
Some freak fish are found, but hybrids
are comparatively rare. Fish, however
are subject to many more dangers and
vicissitudes than fall to the lot of most
men. They are liable to accident. They
may. for instance. be washed against rocks
in storms: and they are all the time In
danger of being eaten by other fishes
Fish Of the same kind often eat one anoth-
er: and various larger fish are all the time
eating smaller ones. Almost numberless
hsh are simply swallowed up by bigger
fish, and that is the end of them; but the
fish fights for it's life when attacked IL 1t
can. or 1t escapes II that Is possible Many
fish are taken that are manned i'm one way
and another. 1t is not at all unusual to
catch a fish that has lost one eye: and 1.
is not remarkable to catch fish that have
lost both eyes. Fish are often taken that
tail.
Fish are often taken with scars upon
them made by the teeth of other fish.
hhe big bluefish had upon the sides of the
upper part of its body scars made by the
teeth of some larger fish which had darted
down upon it from above partly closed its
Jaws upon it. and then, for some reason.
mad let go before biting the bluefish
through; or it may be that the blueffsh
mad been the quicker and had freed itself
Goldfish taken had hole in its side from,
near the backbone down through The nnner
part or the body and out 1t had become
caught upon sharp spine of some other
nsh. or impaled upon some other sharp OBJ
Ject. The wound had healed but without
closing up: it had left a hole down through
the side of the fish through which a lead
pencil might have been passed If a
wounded hsh Is in healthy condition, its
wounds heal rapidly and it NAV SURVIVE
injuries that. it might seem. would proye
fatai. Many fish has been killed by the
sharp spineS Of fish it has swallowed. at
me same time Goldfish has been taken
that had a sharp-pointed bone of fish
sticking through the sides of its stomach.
projecting half an inch beyond into the alb
oomihal cavity on either side. But in this
case ire wound thus made healed and the
fish, when taken, was active and ia yonS
condition. e00"
The fish caught in haul Of fish may be
Su"stantialiy Tree from injuries, or it may
De mat considerable number will show
scars or other marks. a fish that is mafm-
ed gets through the rest of its life the best
way IL can: nature does not supply the de-
iiciehcy; but 1t may be. in some cases that
.he remaining members adapt themselves
IN some measure to take the place of one
inat Is gone In the National Museum AT
washington there is a sunfish whose tail
together with part of its body. had been
Dit'en OH by another fish. The wound had
neaied and the stump of the BODY had
.a .ls INTO biunt point. Then the dorsal
and anal fins had grown sufficiently to er-
TEND beyond The stump, meeting back of il.
where they served also as a tail