The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-02-02
n~'~~~~>~ -~~~>~~~~~A~ e
} SpeciouS Tales of Fish !
Dinny Gcwgan surpr rscd hy a I
Thin Gray Pamphlet

Hes out in the court hitting NJ
T the ball." said Joe, the steward of TIT
handball club. "Come i'm here. Dinuy
You're being asked for"
"Am l. now?" said Dinny. trottinG
in. rs it yersilf, John? I'm Timber
in up TO cilibrate me siNty-fft' bert
day, come mkt Chuesda'. Lave m,
take tin aces an III give yez a game
"I'm to play the new man from the
old country this afternoon" said the
professor, "and I'm saving my hands
1t wasn't for n game that / called fol
you. l want to show you this book q
friend of mine sent TO me-"
"a boo-ook, is at? Sure. thin, I've
lift me spic-taycles at home.' said
Dinny, cunningly. "What might ut be
about, thot book?"
Its fish book, Dinny, issued by
the United States fish commission. and
sent to me by my political friends in
Washington"
Some O. thin fish stories the polly.
tishuns do be tellin'? What fer wud
they sind thin to you. dunno? Why
wudn't they sind ut to me thot has
caught more fishes av more kinds than
amy mon in Brooklyn"
That's the very reason In, bring.
ing II to you, Dinny. It's a scientific
book, and there are some parts of II
that don't just understand, and
thought that you, knowing so much
about fishes"
Sure. thin, you ken 10 the right
pless thot time, john" interrupted the
old man. 81 know livery bone i'm livery
hsh's body in these waters an have
swallied most av thin. 'Tis sorrow
that 7 lift me spic-taycles behind. but
do you rade ut out, an rade slow. thot
l can di-gist the substantiousness ay
the skientifical portions. Who writ
the boOk?"
"a man named Herrick; Prof. Her.
rick"
"Av coorse," said Dinny. heartily
81 know um well He used T. wave q
shtick in front of the orchestry at the
Shtar the-ayter. Thot's how he's
profliser So, becuz he belongs to
Sout' Brooklyn fshin' club he thinks
he can write a book about ut The
consate of the bastel He dunno tn.
diffrunce bechune a sandworm and 8
lead sinker. What does he say?"
; perhaps 1t isn't the same man.
suggested Prof Coggins, but Dinny
waived away that suggestion and bade
him read ahead.
The title of the book" said Prof
Coggins, "is The Peripberal Nervous
System Of the Bony Fishes"
Saints difnd US, John." said Din.
ny, with his eyes wide. "What Ian
guage is that. l dunno?'
That's the kind Of English they
speak down in Washington"
NO. no, john" said the old man.
solemnly. "Av that's English I'm
dago, an I'll sell paynuts on the coor.
ner."
"Oh, you'll recognize il when you
get a little further along" said Prof.
Coggins, reasurringly. 'Ill skip the
first part and get into the heart Of It,"
"Skip ahll av thin worruds wit
joints in thim," Denny requested.
"They hurt me ears"
"Well. hows this?" proceeded the
other "He says here: In view OF
these facts, the present demand. It
seems TO me, is for a minute and eX-
haustive study Of the exact relations
of the several nerve components
through the entire course Of the sew
eral cranial nerves in n few typical
fishes. The common silverside Me-
nidia, so abundant about Woods Holl
and other points along the Atlantic
coast. was chosen as the first type to
be examined These little fishes stand
about midway between the physosto-
nous and the physoclystous types Of
fishes (here Dinny was observed to
wince) and may be regarded as rela-
tive, generalized form"
"That's what comes av Sout' Brook .
lyn fshin' clubs" unused Dinny. in self I
at makes felly like Her /
rick regyard that sort av thing as bein'
relatively simple. May i be skint for (
a neel av l don't behave the mon had /
ought t'be arristed.'
whats the matter, Dinny? Don't /
you understand it?" asked Prof. Cog
gins.
"Av coorse l understand ut" said
Dinny, angrily. Hes talkin' about por-
gies an he's kafoozled on his facts
"Probably it will straighten out later
on" said the professor. "Ive lost my
place with all those hard words. Oh,
here we are: Though the organs Of
special sense (eye and earl are very
highly Developed"
"Hould on" shouted Dinny. Trade
that again. Dye an what?"
Eye and ear" repeated the reader.
John. av ever / caught fish wit ears
on um I'd teck the Father Matthew
pledge that day. Sure, Herrick has got
1arnycles on bis brain. Av he'd said
thot the nose was very highly divil-
Dped. now. I'd know what kind av fish
be was talkin' about"
what kind is that. Dinny?" asked
Joe, the steward, unsuspectingly.
"The shmelt: he-he-he," snickered
)inny. "Shkip the rist Of thot about
he fishes ears. He'll be discrbin' tn
,oorns on the toes av clam mkt. G'wan
Wit tn porgies."
~Menidia is a favorite type for such
tudy," continued the reader. mot only .