CHAPTER / Fish and Their 



Fabulous Neighbors 



How DO THEY stay in the water?" "How do 

 they breathe?" "Can they hear?" "How 

 long can they live?" 



These are but a few of the questions that will occur to your 

 child as he observes the goldfish or tropical fish in an aquarium 

 at home or elsewhere. For fish are interesting, question-provoking 

 creatures. Schools have recognized their popular appeal by mak- 

 ing aquariums classroom projects. Newspapers have daily col- 

 umns telling how to take care of tropical fish; whole magazines 

 deal with the subject; and shows displaying the most unusual 

 kinds of fish are attended by eager youngsters as well as grown-ups. 



The common goldfish is the most popular among children, 

 and even a young child can be taught to care for a few of these 

 hardy, handsome creatures in an ordinary fish bowl before you 

 enlarge the collection with tropical specimens. 



So attractive are goldfish and the colorful natives of tropical 

 waters, that interior decorators often plan space for aquariums 

 in formal settings as well as in recreation rooms. But beauty is 

 by no means the whole charm of these creatures. As we watch 

 the fish behind glass walls, so tranquil and completely undis- 

 turbed by captivity, we have an experience comparable to don- 

 ning a diving helmet and going into the sea to observe underwater 

 life. Much of what we see and learn applies as well to the life of 

 fish which cannot be observed so closely. 



Now for some of the questions that a youngster, especially one 

 learning to swim, may ask about fish. 



"How does it just stay theret" he may inquire when he sees a 

 fish motionless in the water. "Why doesn't it sink to the bottom 

 or come to the top?" 



164 



