The times., 1899-06-11
SOME QUEER FISH STORIES.
Finny Specimens That Hop, Skip,
nnd Walk.
(From the London Standard. }

N.
Iungfsh or mudfish-those curious erea-
lures. survivals of an ancient fauna, that
seem TO have made some advance toward
becoming amphibians. and stopped short
on the road. 1t is only natural that cne
should recall them in this connection
When the Australian lungtish was first
described it was said to leave the streams
and go out among the reeds and ru5hes
on the flats which are left uncovered ut low
tide, and settlers averred that on sun
nights they often heard it moving on the
river banks. This, however, has been
shown not to be the case; though 1t Is
probable that all the three lungiish--troin
Africa, Australia, and South America re-
spectively-can move easily through the
masses of aquatic vegetation in their
native rivers and swamps.
The name walking fish is generaliy
given to some small species allied 10 the
gohies of our own coasts, and found on
the shores and estuarles of West Africa
and the countries bordering the mao
Pacific Banks, in his journal, speaks oi
the very singular phenomenon presented
by these fish, whieh. he says, were atout
the size of an English minnow, and had
two very strong breast fins. He ana us
party often found them in very dry places,
where it was at first thought they mad
been left by the tide. Further ooserVa-
uons showed that the f1sh had choseh tneit
situation voluntarily.
Sir Joseph fixed his attention upon one
fish and SAYS that it Immediately hed,
Cleaning as nimbly as a frog, by means
of IT'S breast fins; nor did it seem to pre-
fer water to land for if seen in the water
II often leaped out and proceeded on dry
land. and when the water was hlled win
small stones standing above the surface
would leap from stone to stone rather
than go into the water. In this manner
observed several pass over puddles oil wa
ter, and proceed on the other side, leapihs
as before.
other naturalists have added a good deal
to our knowledge of these strange fish.
Hickson found them in the Celebes, and
described them, as did also Woodford, VINO
met with them in mangrove swamps IN the
Pacific, where. he says, they are exceed
ingly common, hopping and climblng
among the aerial roots, to which they cling
by means of their strong pectoral ms, ana
jumping off into the water when anyone
approaches. He also found them in wells
a long distance from other water, in sltua-
tions to reach which they would have had
to make a considerable journey overland.
Moseley saw them during the voyage OF
the Challenger, and in his Notes OF
Naturalist" he tells how he chased one, in
Trincomalee Harbor which skipped ong
the water by series of jumps until 1t
reached a rock where it sat on ledge In
the sun and waited till he came up. when
it skipped along to another rock.
Though spirit specimens have long
been known, and DR.. Gunther lent one TO
Moseley who drew it for an Illustration
to his Notes. it was not till some three
years ago that living examples were
brought to Europe. The credit of intro
ducing these strange fish into geological
collections is due to DR.. H. Forbes, Direc-
tor of the Liverpool Museum, where they
have done remarkably well in shallow salt
water tanks, kept at temperature OIL
| about so degrees Fahrenheit. When they
! came they were exceedingly timid; but this
| shyness soon wore off. and in short time
/ they learned TO recognize the attendant
| as he came to feed them. DR.. FORBES
! speaks of their having two modes of mo-
| ton on land-a hop or spring, and walk.
| In the former case the pectoral fins are
used simultaneously as a base whence TO
/ take off and in the latter alternately,
when a curious triple track is left in the
soft mud.
At the meeting of the British Associa-
ton in 1886 Hickson pointed out that these
! fish, in the Celebes, always kept the tail
Under water, and this led Prof. A. c. Had
don, during the Torres Straits expedition
!
him to believe that the tail does assist il
respiration, and the microscope showed
that the circulation of the blood was ex-
ceptionally vigorous in that organ. Bu
with these conclusions DIR. Forbes is un'
able to agree. The specimens which have
lived in the aquarium Of the Liverpoo
Museum have been kept under close ant
continuous observation. with the resul
that the director believes that no aid cal
be lent to respiration by the immersed por
ton of the tail. The gill chambers OF theS'
fish are capacious, and, in his opinion,
is probable that a sufficient amount o
water can be retained in them to keep VI
respiration during the time the fish ar
out of the water He has timed individ
uals, both in their natural condition an
in the aquarium, and has found that the
would sit for more than half an hour with
out a bath. They would then walk slowl
into the water and go below the surface TO
a second, come up and rest for brie
space and walk slowly out again onto tn
margin.
DR.. Forbes has been very generous wit
the specimens not required for the Liver
pool Museum. In December last he pre-
sented several to the Geological Garden:
hut they did not thrive. and in a short tim
all died He has quite recently sent an
other consignment, for which home ha
been found in q large tank in the me-
tortoise house. These specimens are do
ing very well, and it will be a great ad
vantage for naturalists to have an oppor
tunity of watching these curious fish, h,whic
seem to be quite fearless, and in nowis
incommCded by the visitors who streaI
through the house.
Their resemblance to tadpoles is ex
ceedingly striking, and their strange aI
pearance is added TO by their promineI
ewes which are better adapted for visio
l in air than in water, and, from their posi-
tigl, must command an extensive field /
ali directions. They can be protruded an
retracted, and, as the fish lies propped u
2 by its pectoral fms, it often appears I
wink at the spectator, with one eye c
t both. DR.. Forbes has. however, explaine
! that what seems to be winking is the in
e | version of the eye into a depression in
, mediately beneath, for the purpose
lubricating the organ when it become
e dry.
The climbing perch of India seems
have been well known to the ancients, fC
D Theophrastus records the existence in thi
4 country of certain little fishes which leay
t the rivers for time and again return I
( them. This agrees pretty closely with Ii
| habits Of this species. The Malays call
, | by a name which signifies the tree -climt
err but while there is no reason to doul
! the truth Of Daldorf's story that in II!
he took one from moist cavity in Il
. stem of a palm tree growing near lax
4 there has hitherto been no confirmation
it by any European.
: In this fish the hinder border of Il
a gili-cover is armed with spines, the ne,
trail fins are spinous, so as TO afford son
q support, and it uses its pectoral fins
4 oar itself along through the grass ar
II reeds. There is no doubt that 1t can trav
y | fnr n sidnrahln disfanca nn land