The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-01-17
LIFE UNDER THE SEA.

A Naturalist Watching Fishes In Their
Own Element-The Domestic Life Of
the Denizens Of the Ocean-Thelr
Sports and Habits - Photograph
Token Under Water-Fishes That
walk ON Land.
81 have taken up diving to study the
habits Of some animals under water, T"
said an enthusiastic man to an En-
guirer reporter. 81 have made fishes
rather specially, and for number of
years have used boat with q glass
bottom. bought small sloop that
had well in her to hold fish, took out
the bottom and inserted several panes
of heavy glass, and there had per-
feet window in the bottom of the boat,
SD 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. 1 bought this and
had the helmet altered so that l could
see perfectly well, and as was not 20
ing to visit any wrecks there was no
danger of breakage and was perfectly
safe. l 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
assome people, their great eyes staring,
ever open, presenting oftentimes lu-I
dicrons spectacle. ! 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 made my obser-
vations of fish and their movements
was to recline upon the bottom among
the coral and havea-supply of cray-fish
bait that they are very fond of, and in
this way often had perfect school of
fish lowering over me, and so could OBJ
serve their every movement. Did YOU
ever watch fish in the water? Take
the common sunfish. As it poises in
midwater you will see the side or pee
toral fins moying in . 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 f1ying-fish the arm fins are wings;
in some of the sculpins there are regu-
lar fingers by which the fish crawls
over the bottom; in the Periapthaimus
they are used to walk on dry land. In
observations of this kind, continued
the speaker, you notice things that can
not even be seen in q good aquarium,
as there the fish are under certain 70
straint. While l have been lying low,
literally, with all these fishes lowering
over me, have seen performances that
were exactly akin to our games and
sports. When lot Of young fishes
were about they were continually en-
gagged in games of chase. Now one
would dart, and, followed by half a
dozen others, the pursued dodginp herr
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
l saw two fishes, called smelts, ap-
proach each other in solemn way,
open their mouths as wide as possible
until their lips met. Then they would
slowly draw or back off 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 certaiuIv
not lighting, as l repeatedly saw en-
counters, and they were ALWAYS char
acterized by rapidity of motion and
display of temper natural to the occa- |
sion. s
''One of the most remarkable SIGHTS |
that l observed" continued the |
amateur diver, s'were the coral beds.
From q boat they present nothing nm.
usual-a brown mass of pointed sienna |
or branches; but one day 1 had the
boat placed on the edge of q channel.
and gradually walked down intoit until
] attained the bottom, in about thirty
five or forty feet of water. and l tell |
you the scene wasimpressivc. i seemed
to be in the, streets Of city. The
bottom upon which l stood was pure
white sand, hard and firm, and per-
feciiy free of coral; but on either side |
rose q perpendicular wall OF the branch |
coral nearly forty feet high, all tho |
points extending directly outward or |
toward me, and presenting magnifi-
cent unbroken surface of . rich olive
brown hue.
81 must have walked one hundred
yards through this channel when sud-
ienly noticed black object on the
oottom about twenty feet ahead. At
irst | thoughtit was shark or turtle.
md, charging bsyonets with my pike ]