32G EARTH TRESPASSERS. 



of water, so that the animal can at one time take in 

 enough water to serve it for three days, even in the 

 dry sands and under the burning sun of the African 

 desert. Thus provided, the camel is able to pass 

 through the desert which no other animal could 

 cross. The springs are very few, and some are several 

 days' journey from each other; but the camel can 

 cross the interval between them, sustained by the 

 internal supply of water, which can be gradually intro- 

 duced into the system as it is wanted. Here, again* 

 is another analogy with the blood reservoir of the 

 whales, which has already been described. 



The water pools are to the Climbing Perch what 

 the springs are to the camel; and so we have the 

 remarkable fact that a fish is not only able to live out 

 of water, but to travel over land. Nor is this all that 

 it can do, for there is no doubt that the fish can not 

 only travel on land, but can really climb trees. A 

 report was current many years ago that it did possess 

 this power ; but it was thought to be one of the many 

 popular but false notions about living creatures that 

 had gradually fallen into disbelief. 



It is now, however, certain that the Climbing 

 Perch does ascend the trunks of the palm-trees, for 

 the purpose of getting at the water which is generally 

 found lodged at the junction of the leaves with the 

 stem. In some species of palms this supply of water 

 is so plentiful that the name of Traveller's Trees has 

 been given to them. As long as any of these trees 

 can be found, a traveller need not fear thirst, as all he 

 has to do is to pierce the base of the leaf, and to hold 

 a vessel to receive the water which pours from it. 



