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.
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