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Show SIAM'S LAND FISH One of the strangest creatures among Siam's curious fauna is the "land fish" described by Dr. Hugo Smith of the Smithsonian institution. One species is like a perch in appearance, ap-pearance, sometimes growing to a length of nearly seven inches. This fish belongs to a group which has an accessory respiratory oigan, perhaps per-haps the beginning of a lung, situated situ-ated in a cavity above the gills, by which oxygen can be taken directly from the atmosphere. The gills themselves appear inadequate to sustain life. The fish probably would drown, although the process would be very slow, if kept too long under water. It lives, says Dr. Smith, "in canals, ca-nals, ditches, lakes, ponds and swamps. By means of its supplementary supple-mentary breathing apparatus, it can thrive in water deficient in oxygen, and has, in fact, ceased to depend entirely on its gills for its respiratory respira-tory requirements. Associated with the air-breathing function is the habit hab-it of leaving the water and going considerable distances on dry land. |