Went Out to See the World 
19 
Like others of his kind, Simmy 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 
