Evening star., 1932-11-19
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES z. TRACEWHL

Most Of the foods available for
aquarium fish are easily knocked down.
to some extent. from the surface, and
tend to fall unheeded upon the SAND
It is here that both the tadpole and the
weather FISH find them later, after help.
ing the mote tishlike fish eat upstairs.
:: =: = :;
Another interesting habit of the
weather fish Is that OF burying itself in
the sand. mostly with It's head STICKING
out: but one NAV suspect that at times
it completely disappears, esp3ciallT II
the sand is of the larger variety Whlch
permits plenty of air penetration.
At times one will search the aquarium
in vain for a glimpse OF the creature.
Has the cat got it?
Or has it jumped out of the tank?
Facts prove that the cat did not get 1t.
nor did it leap out: for in an hour
or so it is discovered calmly reposing
exactly where the observer knows 1t
was not a few seconds Before.
The Only tenable theory is that the
odd fellow was completely out OF sight
beneath the sand.
The friendship Of the weather fish
end the tadpole is striking. 1885,.
Perhaps each recognizes in its dumb
way that it is queer bird and de-
serves the comradeship of the other
Il is easy. of course. to read friend
shin into animals which possess 1t not.
The temptation to humanize The
creatures is one known to all Nature
lovers. Often enough. even when over
done. the attempt does no harm at all,
and sometimes proves of vast benefit
to the creatures concerned. Even
Nature taxing at its worst increased
the stim of human decency and kind
illness.
There can be no question, however,
Of the comra6estip. in a sense, OF GER
tain aquarium inmates.
In this class one places the tadpole
and the weather fish.
Il 4
The texture of their coverings and
their colorationS resemble each Ctner.
Their duties are similar and their
habits very much alike.
Their movements differ, that of the
taddy being clown-like. and OF the
weather fish extremely snake-like. The
latter is more temperamental creature,
however. and for hot,rs ct time seems
to like to pretend that its back Is IN
jured and therefore it cannot SWIM.
In such moods it snuggles up to its
old friend taddy, and seems to want
the latter to commiserate with II.
Often enough the tadpole lies side
BIZ side with the tiny 'eel," as II listen
ing to It's tale Of woe. ..
When taddy makes ore of his clumsy
vet inherent graceful sallies up and
across the tank the weather fish accom-
panies him. keeping pace, or step. or
fin. or whatever it is that fishes dc, III
such cases.
II would seem to new observer OF
such creatures that the weather fish
is one of the real prima donnas, as II
were. of the aquarium.
Other deniZens act much the same
way In any bowl or tank one puts them,
but the weather fish has way OF act
Ing for each.
The same specimen put In nat
sided. drum shaped aquarium keeps the
water in a turmoil BY its ceaseless and
lashing pilgrimages up and around
up and around. whereas in a very much
| larger tank he seems to find dlflcuity
in getting to the top. and becomes a
much more sedate creature In every
way. The same vessel invariably pro
duces the same effect on him. Evl-
IDENTIFY he is a consistent fellow VINO
knows his own mind.