Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1893 — Fish Are Wide Awake Creatures. [ARTICLE]

Fish Are Wide Awake Creatures.

Do fish sleep? asks the Fishing Gazette. No absolutely certain answer can be given, says Medicus, in the Gazette. My own impression is that they do, but when I say this let it not be supposed that I confuse their slumber, coma, or rest—call it what you like—with the sleep of animals., It is the same only in generic kind, inasmuch as that it relieves the function as analogous slumber does in the higher animals. To understand the meaning I wish to convey it is necessary to bear in mind that the fish is eminently endowed with muscular and, consequently, great locomotive power. Moreover, as it consumes but little oxygen, the waste of tissue is not great, hence fish have been known to do without food for a great length of time. Similarly the stress on the vital powers is not great, oompared with that produoed by the difficulties of movement in land amimals. These facts, viz., great muscular power, easy locomotion and small consumption of oxygen, being borne in mind, we can understand why the necessity for sleep is smalt, and are prepared to find that fish sleep but little. Fpain in 1855 had 31,880 schools, 86,000 teachers and 1,843,000 attendance.