The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-06

time build up this house, which is real
ly kind of living house, and, as the
polyps go on building new parts of this
house, they keep climbing higher and
higher, leaving the old part below,
which becomes dead and hard like
stone. Their useful appetites clear the
ocean and other waters of quantities
of dead and decaying matter, so, you
see, these tiny creatures are really
minute scavengers--each one doing it's
part, no mater how tiny it is.
A Fish That walks on Dry Land.
You may wonder what kind of a fish
that can be, because you know, per-
haps, that fish gets it's air from the
water. not on land. When a fish wants
to breathe, he opens his mouth and
takes a gulp of water. The water
passes from the mouth through a little
grating into the gills. Here it cannot
get out, for some bony lids, called gill
covers, shut down and keep it in. While
the water is shut up, it bathess q. num-
ber of feathery membranes in the cav
ity of the gills. These membranes are
covered with delicate blood vessels, and
thus the blood gets a supply of oxygen.
When this business is over, taking but
an instant, the gill covers open and let
the water out again. At the same mo
ment more water comes in at the
mouth, and the fish keeps on breathing.
Thus you see how, when a fish is
| taken out of the water, 1t dies for want
of air Tire delicate gills fold together
and get dry, and then the fish cannot
| breathe, but in some fishes the opening
of the gills is very narrow and does not
dry up so quickly; besides, there is
little cell full of water, which opens
on to the gills and keeps them moist.
These fishes can live much longer in
the air and one kind can live some
days out of the water. 1t even climbs
up trees to look for insects, of which
IL is fond There is what Aristotle
called a fishing frog that belongs to
this tribe of fishes. II has famous
line and hook in the shape of a long
tentacle, which sticks up on its head
with a joint, allowing it 10 move about
freely At the end of this tentacle it
has little membrane of shining color
which is uses as a bait whilst burylnG
itself in the mud. out of which this
shining tip extends to catch unwary
fishes.
Some sailors once caught such a fish
with mop which it caught in its great
cavern of a mouth. In its greediness
II caught its teeth fast in the wool and
as a result 1t was hauled into the boat
and killed.
4 Fish That shoots.
This fish has a kind of popgun in his
round snout, and he shoots at flies and
other insects. When he sees a fly set
| tie on one of the plants that overhang
| the water he fixes his eyes upon 1t.
| Then he swims to the place from which
he can best take aim. He keeps quite
| under water and does not let himself
| be seen. But all in a moment a drop
OF water is shot with such force against
the fly that it is brought down Then
the fish swims up and seizes it with
| out any more trouble.
This shooting fish does not really live
in the sea, but in the rivers and lakes
of India.
Musical Fishes.
Elizabeth Kirby tells in "The Sea and
Its Wonders" of one fish that utters a
cry when 1t is seized; of another that
walls like child when taken from
the water; still another that makes a
sound as it swms at one season of the
year. and all the rest of the year keeps
silent. But there is fish that sings
There is a little white fish with blue
spots on its back in America, which
actually makes a sound like music. She
tells us how a. traveller WAS one day
lying on the beach resting himself,
when suddenly he heard a sound; IL
was like music in the distance. He
got UP and looked about him, but moth
ing was to. be seen. A boatman was
close by, and he asked him If he heard
anything. yes" said the boatman, 81
hear a fish singing"
The traveller pushed Off in a boat to
hear the music better. He heard a
number of voices singing together. It
was like a concert in the water. The
Sound was a little like an organ play
ing at some distance. These musical
fishes are said 10 begin TO sing at sun
set and keep on singing during the
night. They are not very timid, and
will continue their music even IL peo-
pie are standing by to listen. The fish
was called by some people the "siren;"