Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25

an air hole left in the mud, by means of lungs.
just like land animal: but when the return
ing rains dissolve the mud and liberate the
fish it breathes by means OF gills, just like any
other fish.
Other Peculiar Fishes
THE fish known as Blennius paolis displays
certain remarkable amphibious character
1stlcs. 1t will perch upon rock completely
out of the water for hours at time. 1t also
has the power of altering its position on the
rock with great facility by means of its pee
toral and ventral fins. AT times it recnes on
on its broad pectorals and turning from side
to side, and is able to see with great distinct
ness when in or out of the water.
An allied species is often to be seen perc..ed
on the lava rocks close to the shores of Samoa
at low tide, looking for all the world like a
little lizard.
The members of the genus Antennarius are
also amphibious. Their pediculated pectoral
fins allow them to walk or hop over moist
ground Shiny rocks in quest of their prey.
and even to clasp pieces of wood or seaweeds. at
tached to which they often become carried
away from the shore by currents, and
sometimes observed far out at sea. Although
bad swimmers. they initiate themselves and
float on the water like swellfsh.
Many of the gobies amphibious. Along
the Texan and Mexican shores are to be found
several species of this family that crawl over
the weed and moss between the pools left by
the ebbing tide.
The New Zealand gobies run along the sands
at low tide, jumping at the half buried
crustaceans. and moving SO rapidly that
they called by the natives running
fish
The pcrio ptjraluns, a species of gobv, is as
much at home on land as in the water. and is
chased along the shore by natives of Western
Africa, the fish jumping from rock to rock like
a frog. using its pectoral fins. which are cap
able of being fexed downward and forward.
lacy- aud not fDlr To he C4ar ri
closely pressed. The tail is also of consider
able use in advancing on land.
species found in the Samoan islands freely
leaves the water to climb bushes. to skip
through the grass, or to lurk under piles of
stones to await the returning tide. In all of
these species the eyes can be protruded by
the fish at will, and move independently.
In the streams and swamps of our Western
States is to be found the curious little mud
minnow (Umbra iim). 1t often lives for
long time imbedded in the mud of prairie
sloughs and bog holes, where it has sometimes
been plowed up alive. This little fellow is
probably the innocent cause of some of the
reports of showers of fish said to fall at times
in western States. As heavy rain, soaking
the parched soil and forming little ponds
where it had been dry for sometime, brings
them to the surface, careless observer IS
very likely to think that they fell from the
clouds
Certain eel shaped fishes belonging to the
families Symbranchid4 and Amphipnoida.
which are found in the fresh or brackish waters
of Southeastern Asia, tropical America, Aus
tralia, and Tasmania, are known to be amphbi-
us to a certain extent.
The cuchia, belonging to the last named
family, which is found in India and Burma
and grows to length of two feet. is remark
able for the presence of respiratory air sac
on each side of the neck behind the head, com
muncatng with the gill cavity. When in the
water this fish constantly rises to the surface
to breathe, and it is often found lying in the
grassy sides of ponds after the manner of
snakes.
The Rhynehobdelld denleata is said to con
ceal itself in the mud. and, remarkable to re-
late. becomes drowned in water if unable to
reach the surface. as it apparently requires to
breathe air directly.
The pouched lamprey of South Australia IS
said to retain water in the curious throat
pouch with which it is gifted during short
drought. The genera Saccobranchus have a
long air sac along the side, and by its help can
live for days on land.
CIdrids ldserd has been observed, in Sene-
gambia. to spend several months of the dry
season in burrows, from which it emerges at
night to crawl about in search of food. while
the common eel has often been observed at
night migrating from one pond to another
sometimes over quite long stretches OF land