How Sammy Went to Coral-Land | Page 2

'em," said dreamy, nine-year old Bob, "fairies and giants can
always do things that just ordinary people can't. Please do tell us some
fairy stories, grandma."
"No, true stories," insisted Eleanor.
"How would it do to make a compromise?" suggested grandma. "You
were asking me some questions yesterday about the shells, seaweed and
all the fascinating things found on the shore. Suppose I tell you a story
about all the wonderful creatures that live in the ocean? The part of it
that tells how they live and grow, and get their food will be all true, and
I think Eleanor will find it more marvelous than the make-believe part,
which will tell about the adventures, and the conversations that our
hero had with the strange creatures that he met with in his wanderings."
This proposition was agreeable; the children settled themselves
comfortably to listen, and grandma, with her eyes on a passing sail,
began--
CHAPTER I
HOW SAMMY WENT OUT TO SEE THE WORLD

Once upon a time there lived in the depths of a deep, tranquil pool a
young salmon, whom we will call "Sammy," for short. He was a very
handsome fish, and decidedly vain of his good looks. His flesh was a
beautiful pink, and the scales that form the armor, or coat-of-mail of
most fishes, were particularly handsome on Sammy, and glittered with
many colors in the sunlight. He had a very graceful shape besides, and
his fins were the envy of all the young fish of his acquaintance.
Almost all fishes have a great many fins, and although they differ
sometimes in position and number according to the fish, the most
important ones are the Dorsal fin, which stands straight up from the
back, the Caudal fin, which is in the end of the tail, and the Pectoral
fins, which are at the sides and take the place of feet in animals.
These fins all help to make the fish the splendid swimmers that they are,
and are large and strong, or small and weak, according to which part of
the water the fish inhabits. If he prefers the surface of the ocean, or a
large body of water, his fins must be large enough, and strong enough
to battle against fierce waves, and strong tides, while the fish who lives
far below where the water is more calm finds his weaker fins ample for
his needs. The long, oval body which most fishes possess is another
great help in gliding rapidly through the water.
Like others of his kind Sammy had a very strong spine in which was an
air-bladder. By pressing the air out of this he could swim easily at a
great depth, and by inflating it to let the air in, like a balloon, he could
rise and swim along the surface.
Sammy's eyes were large and round, and he could see splendidly,
especially when the water was clear. His hearing, as well as his sense of
smell was also good, and he breathed through the gills on each side of
his throat. When taken out of the water the fish really dies of
suffocation, for the water that enters its throat and flows out through
the gills is the air that keeps it alive.
Sammy's maiden aunt, an old fish who lived in the same stream with
him, used to tell strange tales of fish that can live several days out of
water by reason of the different formation of their gills.

One of these is a tropical fish called the Anabas. It has very strong
Pectoral fins which it uses like feet when on land, and it will even
climb trees to catch the insects which it eats.
Another fish of this sort is the Frog-Fish, a hideous creature which is
caught near Asia. It can crawl about a room, if shut up in one, and
looks exactly like an ugly frog.
But the most wonderful of all is a South American fish called the
Hassar. It usually lives in pools of water inland, and if the pool where it
is happens to dry up, it will travel a whole night over land in search of a
new home. It is an experienced traveler, and is said to supply itself with
water for its journey. If the Hassar finds all the pools and streams dried
up, it will bury itself in the sand, and fall into a kind of stupor until the
rainy season comes around and brings it back to life.
"Aunt Sheen," so called from the beauty of her skin, used to tell
Sammy another story about this famous fish. It seems that the Hassar
builds a nest just like a bird, only hers is under water along the reeds
and rushes of some shore. The nest is made