The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-05-14
WALKING OF THE FISHES.

UAnAASu VE LIE FlSf1ES.
A Branch Of Nature Study Much Neg
Iected.
It is q pity that 80 many lovers and
students Of nature pay little or no at
tention to "the weter under the earth. !"
Birds and flowers are studied with en-
thusiasm by thousands, but the ami
NAL and vegetable life Of the water
particularly the animal lifs.-seems to
be- overlooked or disregarded, as be-
longing to foreign element. This is
unfortunate, because there 10 60 much
OF rare and surprising interest in the
study OF water life--so many revela.
tions Of the wonders Of Gods crsa-
ton, SO many glimpses into the mar
velous resources and adsptabilities Of
nature. The life'of the water is not
only fascinating in It's own body Of
facts, but il is full Of contrast with
the life Of earth and air. and now in
curious correspondence with it. The
study OF fishes in particular is most
fascinating; and I do not know how
the mind Of beginner in nature. study
could be more stimulated and broad
ened than by making series.of OBJ
servations simultaneously upon fishes
and birds. These two great kingdoms
are strangely alike and yet unlike.
Their contrasts and correspondenoes
are more interesting than any romance,
and bringing out new points, both of
striking divergence and approach.
The waking Of the fishes in the
spring is most charming chapter to
study in connection with the return of
the birds. suppose there is scarce
ly one person in so who knows that
many tribes Of fishes, as we'll as of
birds, migrate to warmer waters dur
ing the winter, and return, at the
same time with the birds, to lay eggs
and even build nests as they do. But
this is fact long ago established by
scientists; and there may be, if we
choose, great delight in knowing and
takiEg advantage Of it.
April is distinctly the month of
waking and activity with the fishes,
just as it is with the birds; and from
now until the middle of latter part Of
May is the time when both tribes may
be studied with the greatest profit and
delight. Any one no lives in the
vicinity Of brooks, rivers or ponds,
and particularly of streams flowing
into the sea, may be sure Of rich re.
turns from time spent, during the
month Of April, in observing the
fishes. All waters are then alive with
them, while the great instinct and
necessity of reproduction is stimulat-
ing them to greatest activity, and at
the same time bringing out their most
interesting habits.
Let US glance at the migratory hab.
its Of some Of our commoner fishes,
such as may be found, during the
warmer months Of the year, in almost
any stream larger than rivnlet. Do
such fish, for instance, as the perch,
the sucker, the sunfsh, the bass, the
pike and the brook trout, ever mi
CRATE? 1t is the common impression,
am aware, that they do not, aud yet
careful study Of their habits proves
them to be what we ca among the
birds, "semi-migrants.' That ia to
say, these fishes pass down from the
higher waters Of streams to the lower
aud warmer waters, and .ery often
into larger streams or into ponds and
lakes, returning with the waking sea-
son in the spring to the shallower wa
ters, where they breed and spend the
first half of the year-counting spring
as its beginning.
Every country boy knows, for exam.
pie, something about the spring mi.
grafton of the suckers; and when you
see him starting out with his ''gigging-
pole," or his rod and line, you may be
pretty sure that the sroters are be.
ginning to run up some brook that he
wots Of. So it is also with the brook
trout, the gamy aud delicious and
highly priced fontinalis, as your expe-
rienced angler we'll knows. In April
the trout came swarming up the small
er rivers and streams from which they
have migrated during the winter.
They are coming up to spawn, and tc
remain until fall, when the downward
pilgrimage again begins. The we'll
informed and skillful angler meets
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