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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1963)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFOHD, OREGON THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 1963 Small Worlds Around Us By Lynn W. ki Watkmt (flller ti Trlbuni Syndicate, 1963) Bowfin a Peculiar Hsh Left Over From Prehistoric Era He just sat there in his boat looking with disdain at what he had caught. He knew it was a nsn but not like any fish he had ever seen, and he had fished the lake for many years. Whatever it was it didn't look good. The only reason he brought it into the boat was to have it identified later. On the boatdeck the .fish flopped and struggled. It loot ed a little like a short eel with a long fine along the back The fins were rounded. Near the upper base of the tail fin was a black spot surrounded with an orange ring. The body color was dark green. It had a blunt head and was nearly a foot long. The man kicked it under a boat seat and resumed his fishing. ine nours slipped by as they have a way of doing for the avid fisherman. The low ering sun at the western end of the lake alerted the man lo the lateness of the hour; it was time to leave. He pulled the anchor, lifted the stringer with its half-load of pan lish and rowed to the dock. Then he remembered (he fish of unknown identity. He pulled it from under the seat. It was alive and as active as when it was pulled from the water several hours ear lier. Always Ready There are always folks near a fishing dock ready willing and sometimes able to give our information on any subject, fish or otherwise. Sure, they knew what the mystery fish was - a "mud' fish." Not good to eat, too soft. "And," finished the willing dispenser of information "those fish can live out of water forever; you can just about cut them in two with out killing them." All of which, with a few exceptions, are close to the true facts recording the bow fin, commonly called the mud' fish - a peculiar fish left over from prehistoric times. For some unexplained reason the bowfin still lives, in spite of the fact all the other members of its immediate family pass' ed from the watery scene eons ago. Indicative of Us ancient an cestry is the presence of an air bladder in place of a lung, a primitive form of breathing apparatus and one reason why the bowfin is so tenacious of life, being able to live out of water for a long period of time. Nature discarded this breathing arrangement in her subjects thousands ol years ago. Redeeming Feature Repulsive and disgusting as the mudfish is, the male does have one redeeming feature. He is the one with the orange colored ring surrounding the black spot at the base of the tail, an adornment not pres ent in the female bowfin. It is he that almost becomes a family man in a fish way, ' for he just about knocks him self out building a nest, a nest that comes within a few sticks, leaves and sedges re sembling a bird's nest. The howfish uses small pieces of wood, any assortment of de bris that he can salvage from a lake or steam bottom and does right well in design. Once the nest is completed the bowfin starts out hunting for a bride. If he locates her, somewhere in the mud, he brings her back home. She knows what's expected of her - she lays eggs in the nest. Once the eggs are in place he chases her away and takes up his self-imposed duty of guard ing the eggs and nest. It all sort of points up that old saying - "there's so much good in the very worst of us." Ex-Portlander Heads Air Units Washington - flirt) - Maj. Gen. Chester F,. McCarty, a former Portland atlorney, has been assigned as chief of staff for all Air Force units in Eu rope, it was announced Wed nesday. Gen. McCarty will assume his new duties at Weisbadt.i, Germany, next month. He is currently Chief of Staff for Reserve Forces, with head quarters in the Pentagon. The World War II veteran returned to active duty In 1951 during the Korean War after practicing law in Portland. SIZZLING Akron, Ohio -tPI'- Space vehicles must be protected against searing heat when I hey re-enter the earth's at mosphere. Tn test new mate rials for this purpose, Good year Aircraft corporation has developed a $250,000 wind tunnel that can simulate flight speeds up to 22,000 mph and temperatures in excess of 13, 000 degrees Fahrenheit. PIGGLY WIGGLY p3 HHFSr ywGlUy sTAM TAMPvj TUPsJ BTAMPsJ TMPsJ r You'll save at Piggly Wiggly NV on this value . . . C & H (Limit one bag per I A 5 STAMPS WtamD ftTAMPsj STAMPsJ PIGGLY WIGGLY Q At. t mI " ICtEl RVI Til STAM P(J IftTAM fj lTAM Pl IsTAM OB ltTMP Start the year right with real food savings . . . " j- iA"eii,ii';t ---" ---1 in in iiiMi shop Wesson Oil 32)c Pure vegetable oil for salads or cooking. 24-oi. bottle lowly aged beef. Serve pot roatt with noodles or browned potatoes for hearty cold-weather meal. 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