Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14

as we'll as the trout, was
found frozen solid. Wanting some for dinner,
one of the men chopped out several, and these
were placed in pan of cold water to thaw out.
When the cook went to get them little later
he was startled to find them moving about.
One of the common fishes found in the
Alaskan streams tributary to Boring Sea IS
the blackfsh. The natives catch enormous
quantities of these through the ice, and after
they have lain on the ice long enough to be
frozen solid store them in large baskets.
Turner, the discoverer of this fish, says its
vitality is extraordinary, and after remaining
frozen in the baskets for weeks it is as lively
as ever when thawed out, and he tells of one
having been swallowed in a CONCEALED condi-
ton by dog, thawed out by the heat of the
stomach, and vomited up alive.
Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer, re-
ports the case of carp that had been frozen
stiff for thirty-six hours and was apparently
lifeless, gaily moving about after being thawed.
An Ingenious Inventor
FISHES have been put to many queer uses
while still alive; but probably the strangest
was that suggested to the War Department by
an inventor. The propulsion of submarine
torpedoes was the subject under discussion
and he proposed that a shark be imprisoned
in a tube at the rear end of the projectile, its
movements to be controlled by the active ap-
plication of electricity. In case the shark at
tempted to swim away it was to be given an
electric shock and in this way kept on its course
until the torpedo had reached its target.
Another remarkable use to which a fish has
been put is as barometer. The loaCh IS very
susceptible to atmospheric changes, and when
retained IN an aquarium IS likely to throw
itself out at the approach of or during any re-
markable change of wind or weather, or, If in
a pond or stream, will sometimes Jump on the
bank. 1t has been kept alive in aquaria as a
living barometer from the supposition that
certain mo vements indicate particular changes
that are about to occur in the weather. In
Russia the dead body of CottnS gobfo, the
miler's thumb, is used as a weathercock
Hung by single thread, it will point to the
direction whence the wind blows.
While, of course, fishes must sleep, it has
fallen to the lot of few observers to witness
what is an unmistakable case of sleeping on
their part. 1t has been observed, however, in
an aquarium that members Of the family
LabYidQ the wrasses, will seek a sleeping
place at night and lie down to rest side
Many scheme sounds plausible in telling,
but fails to work out prohtably in practise.
Such was the case with experiment tried
by a man in Palatka, Florida, on the ST. Johns
River few years ago. Many sportsmen visit
this town yearly in order to angle for black
bass which are very numerous in the river,
and to supply them with sufficient live bait
is difficult problem. This man conceived
the idea of raising goldfish to be used as bait.
He built small pond, secured some breeders,
and in about year had number of fish of a
size suitable for the purpose.
He had figured that owing to their bright
color the goldfish would be conspicuous OBJ
jects to the bass which would fall easy vic
Tins to the tempting morsel wriggling along
in front of it. But, alas when the bass saw
the shining object in their vicinity they imme
dately turned tail and fled for their lives, and
no amount of persuasion could tempt them
to venture near one; SO the sportSmen had to