The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-01
How Do the Fish Get There?

How Do the Fish Get There?
/ A very interesting query comes from
George Cary Eggieston, the writer wno
is at Culross-on-Lake George. He
writes TO the New Yerk World:
The scientists have failed in every eff
fort they have made 10 cause the spon-
taneous generation OF life. They there
1 fore contend that there IS no such thing
as spontaneous generation. In this they
/ overlook the fact that nature does many
| things OF her own accord which the sci
entists are unable 70 persuade her 10
do at their bidding Moreover, as the
scientists deny the theory OF direct d.
vine creation and assert that all living
forms have been evolved from prots-
plasm. and protoplasm itself, from NOR
ganic matter, their denial Of The pos
! sibility OF spontaneous generation is IL
| logical. For if living forms were not
/ brought into being BY special acts 81
creation there must be somewhere back
OF them history Of spontaneous gener-
alton. Way should not that be repeated
now under favorable conditions?
The scientists say that wherever there
| is a body Of water with fish in il and
! with no stream or other connection with
other bodies Of water somebody must
/ have put the fish there. This / take
| the liberty OF doubling. and my doubts
are founded upon lifelong observations
as an enthusiastic fisherman. Let me
cite some facts,
! In my boyhood knew a brick pond
out OF which we boys used 10 catch
| thousands of ''goggie-eyes" every sum-
mer How did they get there? The pond
was merely a pit out of which clay had
! been taken for bricS-making. Rain water
| had filed the depression and made
pond of 1t. There was no other water
near, and certainly none anywhere with
which the pond was connected IN any
way. How, then did the 'soggle-eyes"
get into *? Nobody IN that region ar
| that time had ever heard OF stocking
waters with fish. and had anybody been
minded to do anything OF the kind he
would very certainly have selected some
better fish than worthless little ''gogsle-
eyes for seed
Again: In 1862 was encsmped for
many months near Pocoitalligo, s. c,
on the lire OF the Charleston and Savan-
nah railroad. There were many borrow
pits along the line-shallow depressions
made by the removal OF earth for use
in building the railroad Rain water
| had filed them. and there was certainly
no connection OF any kind between them
or between any other water and them.
Yet every one OF them within miles Of
nv camp was so fun OF fish that I WELL
nigh fed my mess by angling in them.
/ I have caught pike there that weighed
/ several pounds apiece. II Is simply pre-
'posterous TO suppose thar ANYBODY went
along through those woodlands putting
fish into all the borrow pits How.
then did they get there unless by natu-
raj or spontaneous generation?
The negroes explain the matter by saw
| ing that fish rain down." but that Is
mot an explanation 10 satisfy an eau-
Gated intelligence wiseacre not long
ago undertook 70 answer my question
by suggesting that fish-hawks flying over
with female FISH in their talons or Their
beaks might have fallen into the lite
ponds But apart from the exceeding
| remoteness Of the chance that this could
have happened In the case Of all these
nonds. there Is the additional fact that
/ the egg. Of ordinary fishes are not fruit
! full at the time Of their deposition IN
water but are formulated afterwara.
| one might I'll a pond with the spawn
/ of INV OF the Same species IN the pond
and not a single egg would ever hatch
| Still again: II the presence OF hsh IN
| Iand-locked waters means that somehow
put the fish there. why Is II that me
speeies most universally found in such
waters js about the most worthless OF
| al snecles. whether for food or for sport
| ing purposes? Who that cared enough
/ for fsh or fishing tn go stocking ponds
/ would think OF selecting the pumpkin
/ seed" (sunfish) FOR that purpose? Yet
! that FISH is present in annoying abund-
| ance in every pond that l ever saw
where there are any fish at all An en-
/ +husiastic or n practical fish-culturist
might put bass trout perch or p'ckerrl
/ into an artificial pond But he would
certainly neye~ think % adding he
| worthless sunhsh. with itS destructive
/ habit of feeding fat upon the spawn or
/ better varieties. stiH less would he have
selected that as the only fish 70 breed.
vet il is often the only sncciss In
pond Neither IS II conceivable that any
! man with q thimbleful o. brains would
nut rock-bass into water as that soe-
! cies is not only worthless for food hut
positively repulsive IN taste and 0dor-
/ The facts cited might easily be multi
/ nI{ed from nv own experience and he
! observation NJ others who have fshed
( in many waters will bear them witness.
Thev seem 10 me 10 show conclusively
/ that FISH do somehow get into waters
/ into which they could not have migrated
I from other waters. ana into which NJ
I human agency has put them. II they
have not been spontaneously generated
or developed or evolved in their present
habftats-as all species mus. have been
volvad somewhere - s0uief{me-fhen
! those who deny the DSssibility 81 such
| local evolution should furui some ex-
njaratIon that better accordE with INA
fscts than anv which they have ~ vet
given US II 7 succeed bv 'bis article
In inducing discussion % subject 50 IN
tereSting. science and sport VII alike
he benefited.