Motor Matt on the Wing; or, Flying for Fame and Fortune

by Stanley R. Matthews

  FISH THAT CANNOT SWIM.

  More than one species of fish that cannot swim are known tonaturalists. Perhaps the most singular of these is the maltha, aBrazilian fish, whose organs of locomotion only enable it to crawl orwalk or hop. The anterior (pectoral) fins of the maltha, which arequite small, are not capable of acting on the water, but can only movebackward and forward, having truly the form of thin paws. Both theseand the ventral and anal fins are very different from the similarfins in other fishes, and could not serve for swimming at all. Otherexamples of non-swimming fishes include the sea-horse, another mostpeculiarly shaped inhabitant of the sea, and the starfish.