Brookings County sentinel. (Brookings, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1890, 1882-05-25
A South-Sea Reef.


Young ladies who enjoy the seaside
pleasure OF tramping among the rocks
and gathering specimens of ocean life
should visit the islands of the Pacific.
Their vocabulary would need new sdjec-
tives to express their feelings as wander
ing over the coral reefs which rim these
isles, they gazed on the treasures that
old ocean had laid at their feet.
One Of the first sights that would greet
them as they looked out from Tahiti on
the ocean would be the immutable tides.
Day after day they ebb and flow with an
unchanging regularity that never varies
from January to January. 1t is always
full tide at MONDAY, and at midnight,
while at sunrise ard sunset it is always
low water. The rise and fall seldom ex-
ceed two feet, but once in six months q
mighty sea comes rolling in, and sweep
ing over the coral reef, natures break
water, bursts violently on the shore.
This extraordinary phenomenon
which scientists have not explained, oc-
ours only at the Society Islands, of which
group Tahiti is the principal. So
punctual liz the rise and fall of the tides,
that the natives have but to glance at
the reef to know the time of day. 1t is
a marine chronometer and neither loses
nor gains time.
A tramp over the reef during the cool
hours OF morning and evening reveals a
treasure-trove such as the naturalist
may find in no other part of the world.
Uucanny-looking star-fish greet him
with fifteen arms, and sea-urchins bristle
with spikes as large as fingers. If he
dislikes these porcupines, he may find
wee ones, no larger than pigeons eggs,
whose needle-l,ke spines recall full.
blown thistles. Among the feelers of
sea-ausmones, as large as a wash hand
basin, he sees tiny fish playing hide-and-
seek.
If the naturalist allows his canoe to
hoat at will and peers into the shallow
water, wonder-world is revealed to
him.
He sees q garden Of tinted corals, sea-
weeds and zo-ophytes. Shoals OF ex-
quisite minute fishs are the butterflies
which WOO these ocean flowers.
They fash in and out in groups and
shoals until he seems to be looking at a
kaleidoscope. Turquoise blue, delicate
pale greer, pure scarlet, old gold, vel
low, violet and thousand more colors
fascinate him to silent gaze.
While seeing these, he notices large
shells travelling over the coral-ledges.
They are tenanted by hermit-crabs.
Water-snakes, marked with blue-and-
gold bars on velvety background, glide
among the coral branches.
Beneath his boat is fairyland. Above,
on the reef, is the hunting ground where
rich and poor seek their daily food.
Some stand on the reefs brink watching
the huge billows, with spear poised
ready to strike, as the foaming cataract
rolls in huge fish. Others hunt in
swift canoes at night, when q lighted
torch in the bow attracts the fish within
reach of the spear.
Women fish with netwhich they sink
as far out rs they can wade. Then form
ing a semicircle, they approach the
shore, driving az many fish as they can
enclose towards the shallow water.
There they are scooped up in little bas-
kets and emptied into larger ones slung
at the waist.
The only drawback to this seaside re-
sort is that it is so far away as TO compel
us to be satisfied with reading about il.