My Book of
Ten Fishes
by
Rosalie G. Mendel
Author of Spark Series,
"My Book of Ten
Fishes," etc.
ILLUSTRATED BY
HAZEL FRAZEE
Whitman Publishing Co.
Racine, Wisconsin.
Copyright 1916
WHITMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY
BY THE STAR FISH
Do you know why I am called a"Star Fish?" It is because Iam shaped like a star. I am thestar of the sea.
My five large, thick arms pointin different directions. On the endof each one is a red spot. Thoseare my eyes. My body is coveredwith little spine-like prickles. Onthe under side of my body, nearthe center, is my mouth.
My favorite foods are oystersand clams. When I want mydinner I bend my arms, or rays, toform a cup. I catch food with thehundreds of little suckers that areon the under side of my body.
BY THE SALMON
Did you ever go fishing? Didyou ever catch a Salmon? Idoubt it. It takes a mighty sharpfisherman to catch me.
I am called "the king of thefresh water fish." I am the mostvaluable and delicate of all fish.My flavor is excellent and I havefew troublesome bones.
My home is in the sea. But inthe autumn of the year I leave itand travel to the river where I wasborn. There I deposit eggs in theshallow creeks. The eggs remainthere until the next spring. Thenthey are hatched into babysalmons.
These children remain for twoyears in the river. Then, in thethird spring, they seek the coolwaters of the sea.
Often, on my journey from thesea to my birthplace, I come toroaring waterfalls. To reach thetop of these is hard anddangerous. But I am never afraid. Icurl my body so that my tailalmost reaches my mouth. Then Igive an upward spring. SometimesI fail, but if I do I try again. Didyou ever see a picture of a "salmon leap?"
BY THE LOBSTER
You have eaten lobsters,haven't you? If not, I amsorry for you, because I amconsidered a very fine-tasting sea food.
When a lobster is brought tothe dinner table it is a bright red.But when it swims in the ocean,before it is boiled, its shell is verydark, almost black.
Mother Nature furnished mewith a hard shell made of lime.This protects my soft body frommy enemies. This shell fits me astightly as your Sunday kid glovefits you. When my body grows toolarge for it, I get ready for a newone. I hide myself from everyone.I stop eating and so get thinner.My body shrinks away from myshell. It splits and comes off.Then a new one at once begins tocover me. At first it is very soft,but it soon gets as hard as my otherone. The old shell comes off inone piece. If you saw it lying onthe sand you would think it a livelobster.