Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-05-11
A CURIOUS INHABITANT OF
THE SARGASSO SEA.

What is generally known as the Sar-
g8sso Sea Is the vast area of 260, 800
square miles, more or less, to the west
and southwest of the Azore Islands,
reaching to the Bahamas westward,
and finding its northern and southern
boundaries in the 3 9Th and 18th de-
grees of latitude Other areas, notably
that in the Pacific, five hundred miles
Z. S. f. of New Zealand, and, again,
one thousand miles west of San Fran
cisco possess the same characteristics,
but the former is the best known and
defined. The great Atlantic currents
form gigantic eddy, thus collecting
the alg@ that forms its component
parts. The vegetable fauna is general
ly comprehended in the two genera.
Fucus and Sargdssena, of the latter
two species, namely, culgare and bac-
ciferum.
The disconnected masses of weed
that make up the "Sargasso Sea" are
usually from a couple of feet to two
or three yards in diameter, sometimes
much larger; we have seen, on one or
two occasie Ms, fields several ares in
extent, and such expanses are probably
more frequent nearer the center of its
area of distribution They consist of
single layer of featbery lunches of the
weed (Sargassum bacciferum). not
matted, but floating nearly free of one
another. only sufficiently entangled for
the mass to keep together. Each tuft
has central brown thread-like branch
ing stem studded with round air vesi-
cles on short stalks, most of those near
the center dead and coated with beau
tiful netted white polyzoon.
After q time vesicles so incrusted
break of, and where there is much gulf
weed the sea is studded with these lit
tie separate white balls A short way
from the center toward the end of the
branches, the serrated willow-like leaves
of the plant begin; at first brown and
rigid. but becoming, further on in the
branch, paler, more delicate and more
active in their vitality. The young
fresh leaves and air vesicles are usually
ornamented with the stalked vases of
a Campanularia. The general color
of the mass of weed is thus olive in all
it's shades, but the golden olive of the
young and growing branches greatly
predominates. This color is, however,
greatly broken up by the delicate
branching of the weed, blotched with
the vivid white of the incrusting poly
zoon, and riddled by reflections from
the bright blue water cleaning through
the spaces in the network The gener-
al effect of number of such fields and
patches of weed, in abrupt and yet
most harmonious contrast with the
lanes of intense indigo which separate
them, is very pleasing"
The animal life of this area is char
acteristic and has certain peculari,ies
well worthy the attention of the stu
lent. 1t consists Of she.less mollusks,
AS the Scillga pelag,cia, short-tailed
crab. the Nautiiogroptus minutus.
quantities of membranipora, and Pc
ruliar fish, known as the Antennarius
nlarmoratus The winter was fortu-
nate in observing the latter on the out
skirts of this vast area. 1t forms one
Of the most interesting examples of the
many creatures that find safety in pro-,
tcctive resemblances As above men
toned, the weed as it floats assumes
all shades of olive, and the fish in color
is its exact prototype, fecked with ir-
regular patches of darker and lighter
shades. Not only in color does it mim-
ic the weed but in general appearance,
the head and fins being dotted here and
there with fantastic barbels of flesh
that to the ordinary observer seem bits
Of weed growing upon it. Even the
white polyzoon growing on the alga is
initiated, and a careful examination is
'ecessary to distinguish the fish from
its surroundings 1t was oitener found
wing in among the weed, but where
The patches were small, was frequently
seen lazily swimming around in clear
water. Its nest is no less curiosity.
1t is round or oval ball of weed. in
twned and wound together in most
complicated manner by an invisible
viscid secretion from the fish. The
pieces of weed are first ronghly caught
together, and the eggs deposited among
the branches; then the invisible bands
are wound around, gradually drawing
them into the oval form, about as large
as base ball The instinct, and its
peculiar endowment by nature, place
this fish among the most interesting Of
the fnny tribe.