The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-26
FEELERs IN PLACE of EYES.
Some New Facts About Fish-Can
Live Long without Food.

Live Long Without Food.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal
The most abundant species of blind fish
is about five inches long when full grown.
It's body is perfectly smooth and it's skin
has no pigment, so that it is translucent,
and the entire fish has a pinkish appear
ance, resembling a skinned catfish
About the head, especially in the young
fish, are many ella or feelers, giving a
fuzzy appearance in the case of young fish
These feelers take the place of eyes to,
some extent. but in spite of them the fish
frequently runs against the wall of it's cav
ern or some other obstacle. 1t is protected
from injury, however, by its long lower
jaw, which acts as bumper In its native
caverns the blind fish has practically 10
enemies. 1t, therefore, is quite devoid of
that shyness that characterizes most
fishes, and it may be taken with the hand,
if care is observed about making any sud
den jar that agitates the water. BY
means of it's sensitive feelers it can recog-
nize any motion about it in the water,
but no amount of noise attracts its atten-
tion for 1t seems to be as devoid of ears
as of eyes.
1T is not quite correct, however, to inn
ply that the blind fish has no eyes. 1t is,
indeed, absolutely blind, but it neverthe-
less has the rudiments of eyes, reminis-
cent of that very remote time when it's
ancestors lived in the light and could see
as well as other fishes. Prof. Eidenmann
has made some highly important micro
SCopic sections of these rudimentary eyes
and compared them with sections of the
eyes of normal fishes. He finds in the de-
generated eyes rudiments of all the main
law Of oil hot In
NAL eye, but in very aborted condition.
Thus the crystalline lens is represented by
q mere dot, composed of but a few micro
scopic cells The optic nerve is even more
rudimentary so that there is absolutely
no nervous connection between the abor-
tive eye and the brain. Thus il Is abso>
lutely certain that the blind fish cannot
detect the slight tract of light with it's
rudimentary eye. Yet, strangely enough,
it has been determined by Prof Eden
mann that the blind fish may appreciate
the presence of light in some other way.
It's native caverns are absolutely dark
dark as no night in the outer world ever
is But if the fish is brought out into
the light it seems to appreciate the change
in. its conditions; somewhat, perhaps. as
plant appreciates the difference between
light and darkness. Doubtless such a
rudimentary sensitiveness to light ds this
may be a property of all animal bodies,
highly developed sensitiveness which the
functional eye has developed.
Just as the blind fish, though unable to
see has an eye so also it has the pigment
cells in its skin, though these are alone
devoid of pigment. The value of pigmen-
taton of the skin of creatures of ordinary
habitat is protection from the sun or from
the eyes of other creatures. As the blind
fish lives where neither sun nor eye pen
citrate, it has no need of protective color
alton. But the fact that the unpigmented
pigment cells are still found in its skin
shows plainly enough that ii is descended
from a fish that had use for such cells
Like the sightless eyes, these pigment
cells are proof of the evolutionary origin
of the blind fish, and they supply, there
fore, additional proof, where such is need
ed, of the truth of the evolution hypothe-
sis. More than that, the depgmented cells
have a bearing also on the question of
variation through other processes than
natural selection; for it is argued that a
creature living in the dark and, more
over, one having no predacious enemies,
could be neither benefited nor injured by
the presence sof pigment in its skin; hence
that natural selection pure and simple
cannot account for the loss of pigment
The blind fish would seem, therefore, in
regard to its rudimentary pigment cells,
to offer an illustration of the change
wrought by a changed environment and of
loss through disease.
This anomalous fish has yet another
striking popularity in its manner Of breed
ing Instead of depositing her eggs In the
bottom Of The water, like most other fish,
the female conveys her eggs TO her gill
cases. where they remain till they hatch,
and where for some time the young take
refuge.
Food is probably not over abundant In
the dark underground waters, but FORUM
atelv tho bind fish is hardy crea lure.
able to thrive on very rneager diet.
Prof. Eigenmann has shown that when
placed IN an ordinary aquarium, the crea-
ture will live at least two years absolutely
without food, and meantime appear strong
ana healthy Several living specimens
from his aquarium were exhibited 10 the
members Of The British association, and
attracted much attention from the foreign
zoolo2ists.