The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-08-13
FISHES THAT GRoAN AND CRY
Reniarkab Statements from q Fishsrrnnn
naeked BIZ MlntoricnI RAcorha

WudIlu bh1u an Olu nSueTnan who looked.
as he sat on his upturned bailer gaugng
trawl hooks. as II he might be a near
relative Of Dayy Jones. 1t wasn't so long
ago that We could get EN- right off shore here
and blaoknsh l"-raising up and looking the re-
porter hard in the eyes" why. all we he'd to do
was to lay out on to the rocks and whistle and
tho Blacklist would come right In shore. So ;
amt 1t. Aleck?" said the expounder Of truth in
the oilskin. referring to a co-laborer, who re-
piled. "Sartln. sartin." without looking up.
It's real sport. can toll ye." continued the
first speaker. when the blackfsh sets In.
Pays too; oils jest as good rs whale OIL only
less OF II. twas four years ago the blacknsh
set In here at a master rate. Ye see was up
about O'Clock in the morning. and out to
| Born Island settin' travis. when | soc em COM
ing down from the castard-milions of em-
and. sou 1. reckon III go down homo with ye' |
didn't think. mind yc. what was IA goin' to hap
pen. but clappcd sail on to tho dory and
havin' about 800 pounds OF haddock aboard.
followed right along lively. Wall. tho black.
fish was so consumed thick. a-rollin' about this
wav and that under the dory. that at Inst took
| hold of Il lobster hook and when one riz lest
kind o gave him q jab with it. Wall the first
thing l know the dory was half full of water.
| and was rushin' Off dead to windward Mt about
twenty mile an hour. Ye see. I'd dashed the
| hook to the moorin'. TO use when put out the
trawl; so when hit the fish II happened to
| stick. and Off we went a-towin behind. There
was Il good sea on. and for tho first ten min
utes It was tuck and 60 She was a-takln'
everything as II came, and a-carryin' wave
ahead of her. declare. five feet high and her
head 80 low that didn't dare to go iorard, 50
| lest sot in tho stern, Jest the same as Of was
| a-bein run away with by horse.
and The other isn seemed inclined t. keepup
half an hour we dashed by Cape Netdick head
"a for the beach, UP the beach we went. aud
What was as Sna out aa ana '9's esW
minutes more my hsh was aground on, the
osa IN, b 5SnesI out "h b soon finished him
right in the blow hole The whole place was
crazy BY this time The bows and dories got
let alone ,searn', the fish to death but scare
beach. aud the boys ws'ied about rilIn' EN-
with oars and hooks, haulin' ON up higher,
covered with en-. There must have been over
4 hundred and when things got .a-anieted
killed. sung out. Hold. hold on ore the hull
haul belongs i to me. drawed EN- in from Boon
lot. and stuck to it. Icamo in ,'gainst my viii.
iesi he continued. in reply to a,uuestion,
| there's one curious thing about en- and that
istss ~, tais s.,i Somaint it, Aieck 2"
| Il know that SOME fishes make noises.
whether they syt TAX or t. the writer rsged
We'll" continued the old man. you've
| hearn the noise u hen makes on n hot day
Tsen hSs S' " s SS ns cscE sS h
makes tGai same Kind p a noise when When
louder. Now blackfish. when they're a-run-
min make a noise that sounds Jest like a groan.
calves and tryin' to care for em Jest like COW,
all the time a;makin' groans. and the young
Being pressed Tor his opinion rs to whether
fish talk or not, tho writer who had made n
study Of natural history was able TO crafty the
correct as TO their max ing noise. AS early as
Aristotles time the voice Of the fish had been
common in the River Clitor was famous for its
vocal sounds. Sir Emerson ITcnnanf was 80
directly from the water. It was during a visit
to Bnttacaoa. on the northern coast OF Ceyon |
Drifting upon the lake one calm evening he
heard curious mus zeal trills and notes. varying
IN tone and Intensity; coming mn from the bot;
others we're distinct and sharp. ronslng Fl quick
Succession and ending In a prolonged note.
The noise made by the great reddish hogtish
of tho GuH has often been heard by the
writer. Ihey MAKE a curious roaring or erunt-
ING sound According to some who claim to |
have heard il. tho eel produces the most must |
cal sound Of all fishes. 1t make? single in
firmly believed thu, ecls or murrays couid |
,hcir language: Probably the lonJGSt
12s"d Ash are ina made by the drum or
being hauled in they make such II noise that it |
can be htar'l quite u distance. and easily con-
torted into nprrals and lamentations 10y an ex-
cltcd imagination. The matter has been in |
yestgntod by Prof. Baird Of tn" Smithsonian
Institute. aud he is OF ,the opinion that thu |
maigrr-H European ilsh-makcs a remarkable |
n3.otmg n"7": accompanied hy II croak or gronn.
mdlpnl found in southern waters. II was A |
yellow and notified fellow, with mild intrlli- !
gent eyes and large mouth. and ON one occa-
sion when OH" was hauled up il Immediately
began such 4 series Of groans and grunts end
captor tossed il back into The water. Nvariety
Of ,hs mnIsrs IN SoHth hmeraa makes npise
of the cSas, Of south Cur5iina. va one MINI
prevented from Shaping by the nois" made hy
drrmush. Lieut. John White also states thai
rh3red NJ the mouth Of the Cnmboya kIvcr tile
sailors Were much ast"njsh"d 10y III" curious
sound, thll iS-u"d from IN" wafer resembling
the hn-e OF an organ mingled with he tones If
a hell. the crnaking of an enormous frog aud
sounds .ewerd into y gentle clnji,, on Goth
Sides "f the hip. and wer" attributed 10 IA
south SEA was described by Baron Hnlnboidt
Tn" sailors were .;realiy terrified rar,y one
m,,N"nipE iy an eNtraorl.nary .npi~r in Me air.
llS. ~" h"allnE NJ timhourine~. followed hy
sounds which seemed To come from The slip,
lIuid. Later these strange sounds which #
wa Judged proceeded roma s.lto,' If -.i,e.
nut">. 'oi-'d.
over fifty varieties Of ilsh are known to rro.
ducr sounds. each more or les, different
Many fishermen are familiar with ihr rurluIls
note OF the gHInrd -hld. known 10 ~cinur,. az
the Lor'~nma, the sound being vih.atory
and agreeable The muilot 50 common in
southern Florida aud which often ntinin. ;,
large 7iH". makes strange sound quito pro-
longrd and during its utteran"" bubbles of
wnt"r ats seen arising from h" water above it,
The catfish makes humming sound and tho
sea horse uttalS. not u whinlu.; or neigh hut
series of single sharp notes. In many r,.cs
tn" sound Is produced hy he rucumaiir duet
and swimming bladder; while other fishes
make an involuntary noise Toy the lip3 or the
giWrrnG"ai or int"rmnN llliry bones In the
h7h"s trlgia and E"us th"r" is 4 diaphragm
with muscles for up"uiug nni closing the SWIM /
ming bladder and by it, action the sounds are
graded and qualified. Tho voice of the catfish |
aud eel Is Produced evidently by forring air
from III" swimming bladder into the orsophn,
gus. and HE sea horse makes its noise by the
use OF certain Vbratory voluntary muscles
and to ali tnnnts and PURPOSES the sounds are |
comparable with those made hy other animals |
expressing perhaps, the emotions felt THOR
AR hlhificr- ara homnlOgous Ia uug- and tho