The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-02-03

Drill fish," Why, certainly said Mr
| Walter Silsbe, an old sea beaten veteran IN
whose rugged lineaments Blue Points, Sad
bic Rocks, East Rivers and Princes Bays
were plainly written. "They bore Il hole
through an oyster just the same as you would
! pierce a piece Of wood with a gimlet-only
neatern
"Then there are star fish and drum fish,
he continued; they also commit great havoc
sometimes in oyster. beds and cause the loss of
thousands Of dollars. These natural enemies,
except the drill fish, are as fonu of oysters as
we are, and when they light on bed they go
through It as quick as hungry man would
demolsh a box stew. The drill fish Is a
wicked little devil about the size OF a snail,
and resembles somewhat periwinklc in APP
pearancc. He has an instrument like saw
or sword near the point ofthe nose. He bores
hole the size of pin hole; and when he
gets through with m oyster, hold it up to the
Hight and it Will Look like sieve. The drill
fish IS a singular fish, AMI Is not very socia
bic, lie prefers 10 travel alone and is found
in Blue Point Bay and other places. There
are now many more than there used 10 be-
and the oyster planters are getting alarmed
about them The drill fish appears to perpet.
rate his Outrages through sheer malice, as he
has never been known to eat an oyster. When
he has finished boring a hole through the
shell the oyster dies. The drill fish works in
the summer and lies dormant during winter.
He goes principally for the spawns, but tack
les with readiness those that have attained a
good old age.
1.-THE startish is reddish, looking some.
thing like q sca-spder. He is connoisseur
and glutton. He has the shape of & five.
pointed star, from three to six inches from
tip to tip but sometimes grows TO ten inches
The star fish travels in schools, although SOL
itary feeders are occasionally to be found
His modus Operani ii is as follows: A school
will settle down on an oyster bed. Each fish
will tackle the oyster and surround it with
his feelers. When the oyster opens his mouth
to feed, the wicked star fish deliberately sticks
his feeers inside and pulls out the oyster
Then he eats it aud then tackles another oy.
ster n starfish can beat any man eating
raw oysters Last summer and fall they com |
miited many ravages in the East River and
at Oyster Bay. Oyster men now are on the !
lookout for the star.tish. they often rake ov. |
er their beds, and f any star-fish are found
they are raked oil and carried ashore for
manure. Sometimes schools of stariish are
found three or four feet thick. Such a school
VIII ruin an oyser-5ed in a few hours. Some.
times the star.tish will sail in and spoil an oy.
ster-bed and then go off and leave one next to
1t untouched In every oyster-beG two or
three are sure 10 he found. The star.iish
commits his devastaiions in the winter. They
mostly frequent the East River, City Island,
Oyster Bay and Cow Bay.
"The wickedest and most audacious fish of
all that preys on the oyster is the drun-tish
When he lights on an oyster he isn't satisfied
with eating the inside, but chews the oyster
shell up also. He Is great, coarse fish like
4 sleeps head, and has big teeth. lie mash
rs an oyster up The same as a small hoy eats
peanuts. Drum-ash come in schools, and
Princes Bay is their favorite resort, East Rlv.
n and the bays in the sound being compare
lively fee from them. They don't come ev.
Try year, and it is five years since large
school paid its respects tn Princes Bay. They !
make noise like drum, and a large school
eeding would beat Drum Ma or John Smiths
seventh Regiment drum corps. When they !
nave gone through an oyster bed they will +,
ackle the bottom of an oyster schooner and !
at the barnacles off. Drum fish pay their :
'lslts generally in the months of September :
md October They have devOured hundreds :
II thousands of dollars worth o: oysters in :
ears gone BY. In two weeks Silsbe x Still
ost $1,000 worth of oysters through them G
'. J. SIN.