Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1911 — DISCARD FISH YARNS [ARTICLE]

DISCARD FISH YARNS

They Are Deaf, Dumb and Nearly Blind, Saya Professor. C Brains Are Comparatively Small and Old Btories Must Be Regarded aa Merely Mythical—-Really Doea Not Think at All. London.—All the popular notions about fishes are exploded by Professor Harold Russell, the zoologist He announces, after a series of experiments, that fishes are deaf, dumb and practically color blind. They cannot cry, much less shed tears, as many generations of comic artists would tiave the public believe. ' The old stories of fish which came to be fed when called or when a bell was rung must now he regarded as mythical. All that the fish possesses Is a rudimentary inner ear, and it is a modified part of the so-called “lateral line.’’ the most mysterious thing in Ashes. By taking the cal carious stones sut of the ears, of fish, the fish lose all tense of equilibrium and roll jibout \s If crazy. The brains of fishes, says Professor Russell, are comparatively small, hough the parts and the general poll tioh of the nerves correspond with hose of monkeys and mankind. In a atwt the brain does not half fill the cerebral cavity, the roof of the space »elng occupied by a greasy fluid. In the front of a fish’s brain are the ilfactory lobes, from which the nerves >f smell issue. Behind these lobes ire the cerebrum, the thinking part, rery small and insignificant The xout has no eerebra cortex or “think sox.” Behind the' cerebrum are the sptlc lobes, into which run the nerves from the eye. Lastly comes the cerebellum, which controls the power, at novement . ' Discussing these and other curious features of fish life In the Natural Review, Professor Russell says a fish really does not think at all, but acts by reflexes. A message is sent Inward to the brain, and the muscles at >hce contract. Sensations are changed Into movements, aqd actions take place without thinking. Reflex actions are, therefore, immediately suggested and directed by the influence of external things. A fish is thus an Impressionist. Fear and anger are its chief emotions, and the search for food and for a mate chiefly occupies its activities. Most fishes hunt their foed by sight alone, though the eels depend solely on their sense of smell. The structure of a fish’s eye does not essentially, differ from that of a human eye. •'--.'A. trout has no eyelids and sleeps with Its eyes open. Fishes have no tear glands. Their vision is poor. As a rule, fishes are short-sighted. The fish’s eye is at rest when regarding something close at hand. A man’s eye is at rest when it is directed to' some far-away object, such as a star. How little taste or smell is possessed by fishes la shown by experiments on a conger eel in an aquarium. It devoured with equal avidity fish covered with anchovy extract, cheese, camphor spirits, iodoform and turpentine. Many fishes have no tongue at

all, but' It is conspicuous and well developed in the trout .and its allies. Carp have broad, flat back teeth with which they masticate their food with apparent gusto. A fish’s tqngue is without power of movement. Salivary 'glands are absent In all fishes and their mouths' never water even at sight of the most appetizing flies. Professor Bateson reports that some fish in an aquarium Ignored a straight piece of wire, but eagerly snatched at wire twisted to resemble a worm, and they did not discriminate between white,, blue or yellow wires so twisted. Most fishes have poor taste and bolt their food whole. Fishes taste with their skin, Professor Russell guesses.