St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-12-13

the DeniZenS Of the Oce4n-The1r
Spsrss and Habits : Photographs
Taken Under Water-Fishcs That
walk on Land
II have taken up diving to study the
habits of some animals under water,
said an enthusiastic man to an En-
quirer reporter. Il have made fishes
rather speciality, and for a number of
years I have used a boat with glass
bottom. bought a small sloop that
had q well in her to 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,
SD that even in the toughest weather l
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 a
nearer view, and so began to think of
the divers armor l bought this and
had the helmet altered SO that 1 could
sesperfectly well, and as | was not 60
i6g to Visit any wrecks there was no
danger Of brsakage and was perfectly
safe. made my first experiment on
-Ahe H5ridageef.
zone 8fhe most remarkable features
OF 11S8 Ne 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 and then sud-
denly return. They were as curious
assome people, their great eyes staring,
ever open, presenting oftentimeS a lu-
dicrous spectacle. l have had fishes
rub up against my armor, as you often
see them against the bottom, probably
to rid themselves of some obnoxious
parasite. The way l made my obser.
vations of fish and their movements
was to recline upon the bottom among
the coral and have supply of cray-fsh
bait that thew are very fond OF. and II
this way l often had a perfect school Of
fish lowering over me, and SO could OBJ
serve their every movement. Did yor
ever watch fish in the water? Take
the common suniish. AS it poises il
midwater you will see the side or pee
toral fins moving in kind of side mo
ton, Just the same movemen
that you intnitively try to MAKE
with your hands when you tr.
TO ''tread'' water or keep yourself mo
tionless; in short, the pectoral fms ar
the arms of the fish, its fore limbs. Ii
the flying-fsh the arm-fins are wings
in some OF the sculpins there are regu
lar fingers by which the fish crawl
over the bottom; in the Periapthaimu
they are used to walk on dry land. Ii
observations of this kind, continues
the speaker, you notice things that ca
not even be seen ina good aquarium
Is there the fish are under certain re
straint. While have been lying low
literally, with all these fishes hoverin
over me, have seen performances tina
were exactly akin to on. games an
sports. When a lot of ye,ug fishe
were about they were continuity en-
gaped in games of chase. Nov on
wonld dart, and, followed by has
dozen others, the pursued dodglng ne
and there behind bits of coral un
some other fish in turn seemed 10
tract attention, and the entire GRO,
would rush pell-mell after it. One q
saw two fishes, called smeits.
nroach each other in a solemn W:
omen their mouths as wide as posi-
until their lips met. Then they wo'
slowly draw or back of and then
peat the operation. You may cal
what YOU like. but Judging from
standpoint 1 assumed they were K
inp each other. They were certal
&adeing, as l repeatedly saw
ce\srs. aud they were always CT
ac. HE'D by rapidity of motion
display of temper natural to the OK
sion.
..One of the most remarkable sls
that observed" continued
amateur diver, were the coral o.
From boat they present nothing
usual-a brown mass of pointed st
or branches; but one day l had
boat placed on the edge OF chan
and gradually walked down into 1t
attained the bottom, in about tn
five or forty feet Of water. and l
YOU the scene was impressive. see
to be in the streets OF city.
bottom upon which stood was
white sand, hard and firm. and
fectly free Of coral; but on either
rose a perpendicular wall OF the bf
coral nearly forty feet high, aA