Ses he, No, Majer, I ain't, but I feel like wettin my gills to-nite.
"Letters of Major Jack Downing, of the Downingville Militia"
Seba Smith
Fust they git loggy 'bout ther gills; then their knees begin ter swell; purty soon they're hobblin' round on er cane; an' fust thing they know they're tucked away in er number thirteen coffin, an' ther daisies a-bloomin' over 'em.
"The Other Fellow"
F. Hopkinson Smith
The experiment having been tried of bringing some of them forth by artificial means before their time, and placing them in water, the first thing they did was to cast off these big gills, which were speedily replaced by new ones of much smaller size, and evidently better suited for the work required, as they lasted as long as a fortnight.
"The Old Riddle and the Newest Answer"
John Gerard