The daily gazette., 1880-06-07
Odd Fish.

Captain Leigh In his voyage 10 Gui-
ana recounts: "We saw white thing
floating upon the water, which sanl
when the ship came within fifty or sixty
PAGES of it. It resembled mans head
without hair. Some said they saw q
great many land observed two black eyes
and mouth upon them. We also saw
a strange sort of fish, about as long as an
ordinary lamprey, and equally round,
with large fin or crest above foot
nigh over its head, and stepped in con-
tinued series down to its tail. It. swins
upon one side, so thai the fin, together
with the body, represents large fish of
triangular form, and it makes its way by
shifting from one side 20 the other.
But when it catches it's prey the FIN is
straight, aud appears above the water Of
an ashy color, though the body is as
white and as round as q tallow CANDLE"
Perhaps ihe tallow candle fish mention
ed by Captain Leignt is a relation to the
one noticed in The Cotonist, December;
1879, as follows: In the waters of British
North America, as we are informed.
there is fish, an odd fish, as surprising
in its way as the sea serpent, aud in
finitely more useful. 1t is a SPECIES oil
smelt, and may be POLITICALLY described
as an aquatic glowworm. We are told
it may be literally used in the same way
1t is considered one of the most deli
cious products of the sea, being far
more delicate in flavor than the her
ring. The fish are caught in wicker
baskets, and are smoked as much as
their oily natures will allow"
Here are some very odd fish from the
Danube
p "The river Danube has great plenty
of fish, and one sort uncommon, called
the hellsow, very large fish-some of
them twenty feet long-which are
supposed to ccme out of the Euxine
Sea-. They taste like "a sturgeon, and
have hollow nervous chord down the
back, which, when dried, they use in
stead 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 call
ed 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 g'utton, whose head
seems to be within it's belly. 1t has a
round tail, seven or eight feet broad,
and as many long, by which it can
over urn boat.
Poisonous fishes are often alluded
to in ancient works, and it is but due
to their authors to say that their state
ments have been fully confirmed by
subsequent inquiry into results
There is no doubt that congers, 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 in
cases of poisoning of this kind are nau-
sea, collie, great heat aud itching of the
skin, quick pulse, giddiness, loss of vision
cold clammy perspiration, and finally
death under convulsiOns. The exact ma
ture of the poison has yet been but litI lie
ascertained. 1t has been ascribed by
some to the feeding Of the fish on poison
Gus mollusca, by some to the disengage-
ment of sulpheretted hydrogen, and by
Others again to particular specific an
alysis. Whether the fish possesses that
poisonous quality at all seasons is not
sufficiently known; but it seems that
most species belonging to the tribe are
equally noxious, for p. Osbeck, in his
"Voage TO China and the East Indies"
gives the following startling account OF
tie Tetroden ocelatus of Linnaus:
"Thls fish is one OF the finest ever saw,
but so poisonous trat whoever eats of it
generally dies in two hours time. II g
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.-AH the
Year Round.