New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-09

l. 1nefe IS something Truly r0nantlc IN the
meaning of the grand old sea. Its voice
comes to US in mutfled notes; as if trying to
burst from itself, now with huge roar and
again dying away up the long line of white
sand III low, murmuring sigh, which
seems TO say goOd-by, until its fellow comes
laundering on, bringing new tidings from
the dark unfathomed caves" and throw
ing its tears Of spray at your 1eet. But
these are not the only sounds that come up
from the sea. Musical notes are often
heard that in olden time were credited TO
the sirens harp" They come to Us in low
sweet notes, burdened with hidden mean
ing swelling on each rise, and finally burst
ing from the deep in a chorus OF rich sounds
and harmOnies
These peculiar marine serenades were for
years regarded with superstitIous awe by
the toilers of the sea. BY some they were
taken as signs Of good luck, and by others,
of the old school and Marryatt class, as the
songs of the vast crews Of the dead who
roamed the sea in their phantom crafts
that appeared 70 their living comrades at
dark moments and in weird form, an Omin
Gus fore boding of ill-fOrtune, and so these
strange notes were traced to different ORR
gins. until some curious individual threw
the blame Of all the disturbance upon the
hsh family, and then it became known that
they. having mouths, spoke after their
passed away. Their fair forms are no
longer seen reclining or the messy shore.
Their sweet voices have been superseded
by The croak Of the unotfending Pieces and
the well known lines
In CULTS enchanted where the siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
have lost their romance. Alas, for the ad
vance of time, as with every throb our old
and well loved legends slip away and dis
in ba din, ri jatl pf tha
A noted tishv vocalist is found in the IN
ecettt Scurns. which was noted for the pow
ers of its vocal organs. Piiny embalmed it
in verse as the king of fishes. and Ovid and
Ossian have also sung its praise in song.
Seleucus stated, with all good talth that it
was the only fish that ever slept, and Allan
bestowed upon it the honor Of being the
best beloved by its fellows. Wonderful
tales are told OF its powers of information,
and, although it was IL great demand for
the table, the men were 10th to take 1t In
consequence of the walls and means 1t gave
vent to when captured. AZ other times,
when free, its voice rose from the sea clear
as a bell. and ravishing in the sweetness OF
its melody.
The well known gurnards are noted tar
and wide for the strange sounds they pro-
duce, and rs vet the peculiar mechanism
has not been clearly demonstrated. At
times tie sound is not unpleasant, and at
others it resembles the barking OF a dor or
the grating of two rough substances. tbs
NAV be the case in some species, bat l have
held 4 fish found in the Southern waters.
and similar 10 our perch in my hand, and
listened to the sounds. and they seemed to
be produced by the movement of the jaws
or throat as the lips and mouth protruGed
at every sound it uttered; but it is not un-
likely that they are produced By grinding
the teeth with quick motion in trying TO
escape. On the Jersey coast the PrionOtas
pilatus is called the pig or hog fish, on
account OF its continual barking as IL Is
drawn in by the net, and in almost every
section Of the country we find these local.
Jams all tending to represent the vocal
tastes of the tinny population.
In the days of old Rome the mur9nas or
sea eels were supposed to have regular
language, Glow and sweet says an old
writer and with an information so tascln- |
ating that few could resist its influence"
and il is said that the Emperor Augustus |
pretended to understand their words. 1t is |
well known. however, that he did devote |
much of his time to the cultivation OF these |
creatures, not for hypothesis of language, |
but because they were highly esteemed III a |
gastronomc point OF view. In tact, so tar |
was this carried that some epicuTes would |
only eat those that had been fattened or |
human flesh
Strange Ids are often heard also ris-
ing from tSJ kters OF our own coasts, that
would be apt to asuonish the superstitious
listener if he were not acquainted with the |
unoffending cause of all the disturbance. |
Sometimes it rises into the air like the bang |
Of huge drum, and again seems to steal |
over the waves with low murm uring vail, |
and if you we're to place your ear close TO |
the surface the strange sounds would ap- |
pear TO come from FIVE or six different |
places. Seamen are often startled By The |
boom, boom" that seems TO steal over the
vessel, seeming to their ears more like the
drum OF some long lost crew than the voice
IF an Insignificant member of the family of
fishes. For such it is, and we'll known as
the bearded drumfish. But how 1t produces
the queer musical notes is something that 1t |
would be we'll for our fish commission" to
discover this summer on the Sound.
Still another faithful satellite of Euterpe |
q found in the noisy maigre. 1t makes
strange cooling moan, accompanied by a |
,harp crack rh 1t can be heard at depth of |
80 feet. The fish attains length of about
ax feet and weighs forty pounds. What
,hese sounds are for we know not, but on
he principle that all things are for some
particular purpose they must have mean
pg. That the imperfect voice Of the fish is
Used to express discomfort and pain have