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THE MENTAL LIFE “OF FISHES
3545
As the name implies, Periophthalmus is able to turn its
eyes in all directions.
It may not be a beautiful sh tolook
at but its half—comical, half—Serious and wholly intelligent
appearance is perhaps the best expression one:can nd ofçthe
mental life of shes.
Some -specime‘ns_hâVe_ been brought
to Europe and, placed in
suitable Opportunities
to exercise, their proclivities, they: refrainÿed… from leàping
out and soon adaptedtherselves to the conditions. : They
provéd themselves neither shy' nors‘tupid.
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From the biological standpoint the most. interesting ..
feature about these shes that ,Wander about :on; land, is
that some —haVe organs spBcially adapted to this mode of1ife,î
others not—adifference that the natural ”Select—iontheory is
quite unableto explain. The climbing shes (Anabantoids)
,
have developed an acce‘ssory breathing 'Organ;(Fig-. 68), Which
is believed to be of assistance in_assimilatingthe oxygen of
theair, but the others do not have .it. The’ventral ns of
Periophthalmus are n0doubt of use in sliding along slippety
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stones and branches,;butthe
The spines of the gin—cover andn&0f theChmbmgPerches
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