The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-03
Odd Fish.
from All the Year Round. ]

Odplaln LelRD, III us voyage ~ Uul1Hd'
recounts: "We saw a white thing floating
upon The water, which sunk when the ship
came within fifty or sixty PAGES OF it. II
resembled mans head without hair.
Some said they saw great many OF them,
and observed two black eyes and mouth
upon them. We also saw strange sort OF
fish. about as long as an ordinary lamprey
and equally round. with large fin or
crest, above a foot high, over its head,
and stopped in continued series down to It's
tail. 1t swims upon one side, so that the
fin. together with the body, represents a
large ti>h OF triangular form, and it makes
its way by shifting from one side to the
other. But when it catches its prey the fin
is straight, and appears above the water of
an aShy color. though the body is rs white
and ~ ro, nd as a tallow candle"
Perhaps the talow-candle fish mentioned
by Captain Leigh is a relation OF the one
noticed in The COi0nist, December 1879, Is
follows:
ain The waters of British North America.
as we are Informed, there is fish, an odd
fish, as surprising in its way as the sea SER
pent, and Infinitely more useful. Ii is spe-
cies OF smet, and may be POLITICALLY de-
scribed as an aquatic glOw-worm. We
are told it may be literally used in the same
way aS a candle by simply setting light to
the tail, when it will burn with flame
as steady as that OF The 'dips' which
our grandfathers used 10 have TO put up
with before gas was invented. It is q small,
silvery fish, averaging about fourteen inches
long, is excessively fat, and affords an excel
lent and valuable oil, which is so infiamma-
BILE that the dried carcass will serve as a
10 of q IL il
as the oolahan, and by them, as by others
who have tasted it, is considered one OF the
most delicious products OF the sea, being far
more delicate in flavor than the herring.
The fish are caught in wicker baskets, and
are smoked as much as their oily nature will
allow"
Here are some very odd fish from the Dan
ube:
"The river Danube has great plenty Of
fish, and one sort uncommon, called the
helsow, a very large fish-some OF them
twenty feet long-which are supposed to
come out OF the EuXine sea. They taste
like a sturgeon, and have hollow, nervous
chord down the back, which. when dried,
they use instead OF whip. When they fish
for them they blow horn or trumpet, the
noise of which brings great shoals about
their boats. There is fish called grundel
that has six boards, two short and four
long"
Mr.. Fotherby tells Us that in the Caspian
sea there is a deformed sort of fish called
the glutton, whose head seems to be within
its belly. 1t hes a round tail seven or eight
feet broad, and as many long, by which it
can overturn a boat.
Poisonous fishes are often alluded 10 in
ancient works, and it is but due TO their
authors to say that their statements have
been fully confirmed by subsequent inquiry
into results. There Is no doubt that con-
gers, pike, and barbel have been long, and
still are, recognized in Europe as poison
Gus at certain seasons, and the roe OF the
barbel especially so.
The symptoms usually observed ir eases
Of poisoning OF this kind are nausea, collie,
great heat and itching Of the skin, quick
pulse, giddness, loss OF vision, cold,
clammy perspration, aud finally death I'M
der cOnvuIsions. The exact nature Of the
poison has yet been but little ascertained.
1t has been ascribed by some TO the feeding
of the fish on poisonous mOllusca, by some
to the disengagement OF sulphuretted by-
drogen, and by others again 10 particular
specific venom not yet discovered by cbemi-
cal analysis. Whether the fish possess
that poisonous quality at all seasons Is
not sufficiently known; but 1t seems
that most species belonging to the tribe are
equally noxiOuS, for Z. Osbeck, in his
"Voyage to China and the East Indies"
gives the following startling account OF the
Tetraodon ocelatus OF Linn9us: "This
fish is one OF the finest j ever saw, but so
poisonOus that whoever eats OF 1t generally
dies in two hours time. The Chinese who
affirmed the fact, seeing me take the fish
into my hands, earnestly desired me TO wash
myself, adding that it is forbidden under
some great penalty TO be sold among other
fish,"
DR.. Stuart Edrldge states that the
salmon is doubtless the most common
toxic fish OF Japan. From the spring
onward this fish is out OF season,
and if eaten after that period Of the year oc-
sions such accidents as follow the ealing OF
tainted meat. In Japan the like dangers
follow the eating Of the kateuo (bonltol and
the maguro. The Lethrinus nambo can be
eaten with impunity until it altains certain
size-say length Of five to five and nali
inches-after which it becomes poisonous.
Here, then, it would appear that the age OF
the fish has something to do with IFS inluri-
Gus qualities. Pappenheim gives list OF
more than forty poisonous species, prlncl-
pally Inhabitants OF the torrid zone.
Among these we find mackerels, perches,
herrings, and sea-pikes.
Pulling matches by steamboats, are still q
popular diversion in the West. AT CHI
cago few days ago the Gardener, Tor years