Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-06-10
FACTS ABOUT FISH.
Pecularities Of the California Salmon-The
SkN Jack.
New York WI nd Express.

Many new ana curious Facts about ii shes
have been brougts to light in a scientific
work just published under the auspices
Of the government on the fisheries and
fishing industries of the United States.
Remarkably fine and elaborate plates. III
in number, accompany the work. Through
the permission of the publishers of the
book reporter was permitted to examine
the copy. 1t is of nearly 1000 pages. OF
California salmon it says strange as it NAV
seem very little, almost nothing, in fact,
Is known of its ocean history. I'VE know
that salmon leave the mouths of the river
at stated times, where they go. or how
they fare, or what motive guides their
course in their mysterious ocean soiourn
nobody knows. They are found to have
deep sea fish in their stomachs when they
first male their appearance near enough
to the mouths of the river to be captured.
which points TO the deep sea as their
feeding ground. They are often caught
with marks of seals and sea lions teeth
upon them, which shows that they are
preyed upon by in the sea by these enc
mics, though perhaps it is only on their
journey to the rivers mouths that they
have to run the gauntlet of seals and sea
lions, for probably they have a capacity
for standing deeper water than their lust
mentioned enemies. But if their ocean
history is little known their inland career
Is interesting enough TO make up for it,
From the moment the salmon enters the
river which it is sure to seek in one or two
years, its progress is one of interest 1t
first proceeds at its leisure to the head of
tide-water. Here it stops awhile and seems
to play IL the fresh water. Whether it
shrinks from encountering the sudden
change from salt water too fresh. which is
probably the cause of dallying, or for
other causes, it usually spends two weeks
or more lowering about the border line
between sea-water and river-water When
it has overcome its apparent repugnauce
TO making the change to fresh-water it
makes rapid charge up the river for the
clear gravely streams. Now paradoxical
or unreasonable at it may seem, it stops
eating. Nothing is ever found inside a
California salmon to show it has eaten a
particle of food in fresh water As a
proof Of this statement, out of a great
many thousand specimens that have been
examined, no food has been found in the
stomachs of any
Of the skip-jack a member of the fly
ing fish family, il is stated that it "does
not swim deep in the water. and in its
harmless manners resembles the flying
fish, as well rs in the prosecutions it sniff
ers from the ravenous inhabitants of the
ocran. The methods it adopts to escape
from their pursuit are peculiar. It is
sometimes seen TO rise TO the surface in
in large shoals and fly over con
siderable space. But the most interest
ing spectacle, and that which best dis
plays their great agility, is when you are
followed by large company of por-
poises or their still more active and OPP
pressiye enemies, the funny and bonito.
Multitudes then mount to the surface and
crowd ON each other as they press for
ward. When still more closely pursued,
they spring to the height of several feet,
leap over each other in singular confus-
ion, and again sink beneath. Still fur
Their urged they mount again and rush
along the surface by repeated starts for
more than one hundred feet. without
once dipping beneath or scarcely seem
ing to touch the water"
The common suufsh is found to be
very intelligent It prefers still and clear
waters. I'm the spring the female pre-
pares herself a circular nest by removing
chosen spot of foot or more in diane
ter, so as TO leave bare the clean gravel
or sand. This she excavates to the depth
Of three or four inches, and then depos-
its her spawn, which she watches with the
greatest vigilance, and it is curious to see
how carefully she guards this nest against
all intruders. In every fish, even those
of her own species. she sees only an
4
she has driven it away from her nursery.
We often find grouys of these nests plac-
ed near each other along the margin of
the pond or river that the fish inhabit
but always in very shallow water. These
curious nests are most frequently en-
circled by aquatic plants, forming a cur
tain around them; but large space is in
variably left open for the admission of
light
OF the'swordfsh it Is stated that when
excited its motions are very rapid and
nervous They are sometimes seen to
leap entirely out of water. 1T strikes
With the accumulated force of fifteen
double handed hammers. Its velocity is
equal to that of a swivel-shot. Many
curious instances are ON record of the en-
counters of this fish with other fishes, of
their attacks ON Shlps. what can be the
inducemcnt for it to attack objects so
much larger THAI itself, it is difficult to
surmise. Ii surely seems as though a
temporary insanity sometimes takes poss-
cssion of the fish An old swordfsh
fisherman told Mr.. Blackford his vessel
had been struck twenty times, There
are many instances of entirely unpro-
yoked assault on vessels at sea. The
largest one ever taken by Capt. Benia-
min Ashby for twenty years swordish
fisherman, was killed on the shoals back
of Edgartown Mass. When sailed it
weighed $50 pounds. Its live weight
must have been as much as 100 or 500.
It's sword measured nearly six feet.
Carlylc's Writing Desk.
Sin E,tgio,,gs Gfg,bpt writes as fol