Christine Hall. age 50 of Boise. Idaho.

Are there fish that climb trees?

A fish out of water is usually very uncomfortable. He cannot breathe air as we do. He has gills for breathing air from the water. So you would b® very surprised to see a fish climb out of water all by himself. gait sitting by a lake or quiet stream in parts of India. Ceylon. the East Indies or the Philippine Islands you might see just that. A smallish fish struggles up the bank end. of all things. goes for a walk.

You can hardly believe your eyes. He hitches himself along. using the hard flaps over his gills for crutches He does f rat dawdle. either. He cam cover 300 feet in half an hour which is not bad for a fish out of water. Chances are the walking fish is tired of his home and soaking  new pond or stream.

The amazing fellow is called a climbing perch. He has gills for breathing watery but they are not very large. He also has a maze of tiny bones in his head for breathing air. The gills are not big enough and he must breathe sir to keep going. This fish would soon drown without a breath of air.

Some people say this climbing perch will climb trees. But it is not certain that he will. His walks :may take him aver the roots of trees and ground their trunks. But there seems no reason why he should climb a tree„ He can breathe air and he can walk. That is amazing enough. Let's not expect too much of the brave little fellow.