Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-12-12
LIFE UNDER THE SEA.

Naturalist Watching Fishes in Their
Own Element-Thc Domestic Life of
the DeniZens OF the Oceau-Their
sports and Habits - Photography
Taken Under Water-FIshes Thai
walk ON Land.
81 have taken up diving 10 study the
habits OF some animals under water"
said au enthusiastic man TO an En-
qirrer reporter. Il have made fishes
rather speciality, and for n number of
years have used boat with a glass
bottom. bought n small sloop that
had well in her 10 hold fish. took out
the bottom and inserted several panes
of heavy glass, and there had a per
feet window in the bottom of the boat,
so that even in the toughest weather |
could lie and look down through it,
and see the smallest objects on the bot
tom, and so make my collections. But
this only made me eager to get
nearer view, and so began TO think of
the divers armor. / bought this and
had the helmet altered SO that could
see perfectly well, and as was not 90.
ing to visit any wrecks there was no
danger of breakage and was perfectly
safe. made my first experiment on
the Florida reef.
Zone of the most remarkable features
of this life under water is the fact that
the fishes were not at all afraid of me.
but swan about when / did not move.
evidently taking me for an old wreck.
When | raised my arm they would dart
away for few moments aud then sud
denly return. They were as curious
as some people, their great ewes staring,
ever open, presenting oftentimes & lu-
dicrOus spectacle. / have had fishes
rub up against my armor, rs YOU often
see them against the bottom, probably
TO rid themselves of some obnoxious
parasite. The way made my obser-
Vat.ons of fish and their movements
was 10 rccline upon the bottom among
the coral and have n supply Of cray-fish
bait that they are very foad Of. and in
this way often had a perfect school OF
hsh lowering over me, and so could OBJ
serve their every movement. Did YOU
ever watch fish in the water? Take
the common suniish. As il poise5 in
midwater you will see the side or pee
toral fins moving in a kind of side mo.
ton, Just the same movement
that you intuitively try TO make
with your hands when YOU try
TO ''tread" water or keep yourself mo-
tiOnless; in short, the pectoral fins are
the arms of the fish, its fore limbs. In
the llying-iish the arm-iin are wings;
in some of the sculpins there arc reCu-
lar fingers by which the fish crawls
over the bottom: in the Periapthaimus
they are used to walk on dry lana. In
observations of this kind, continued
tho erNnu lenr Frffpa ekfnr~g ~
not even be seen in good aquarium,
as there the fish are under certain re-
straint. While have been living low.
literally, with all these fishes lowering
over me, | have seen performances that
were exactly akin to our games and
sports. When n lot of young fishes
were about they were continually en-
gagged in games of chase. Now one
would dart, and, followed by half
dozen others, the pursued dodging here
and there behind bits of coral until
some other fish in turn seemed TO at
tract attention, and the entire crowd
would rush pell-mell after it. One day
| saw two fishes, called smelts, ap-
proach each other in n solemn way,
open their mouths as wide as possible
until their lips met. Then they would
slowly draw or back OF and then re-
peat the operation. You may call it
what YOU like. but Judging from our
standpoint assumed they were kiss
ing each other. They were certainly
not fighting, rs / repeatedly saw en-
counters. and they were always char
acterized by rapidity of motion and
display of temper natural to the occa-
sion.
''Ono OF the most remarkable sights
that L observed, continued the
amateur diver. '.were the coral beds.
From boat they present nothing un-
usual-a brown mass of pointed stems
or branches; but one day | had the
boat placed on the edge of channel.
and gradually walked down intoit until
l attained the bottom, in about thirty
five or forty feet of water, and tell
you the scene wasimpressive. seemed
10 be in the streets of q city. The
bottom upon which stood was n pure
white sand, hard and firm, and per
fecuy free OF coral; but on either side
rose perpendicular wall of the branch
coral nearly forty feet high, all the
points extending. directly outward or
toward me, and presenting n maCnifi-
cent unjrVken surface of rich olive
brown hue.
81 must have walked one hundred
wards through this channel when sud
! '.eu'y l noiieed black object on the
] ip'tnui aSous twenty feet ahead. At
/ .;rst thought il was shark or a turtle,
In'i, charg.Dg bayOnets with nv pike