The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-06-23
QUEER HABITS OF FISH
FACTS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN
ABOUT THE FINNY TRIBE.
California Salmon-Skip-Jack and
Flying Fish Pursued by Porpoiscs
-Sunfish and their Nests.


scientific work just published under the
auspices of the Government, on the
fisheries and fishing industries of the
United States Through permission of
the publishers of the book a reporter for
the New York Mail and Express was
permitted to examine a copy. OF Cali
fornia salmon it says that, strange as it
may seem, very little, almost nothing in
fact, is known of its ocean history. eve
know that salmon leave the mouths of
rivers at stated times, but where they 60,
Or how they fare, or what motive guides
their course in their mysterious
ocean sojourns, no one knows.
They are found to have deep-sea
fish in their stomachs when they first
make their appearance near enough to
the mouths of the rivers to be captured,
which points to the deep sea as their
ocean feeding-ground. They are often
caught with marks of seals and sea-lions'
teeth upon them, which show that they
are preyed upon in the sea by these enc
mics, though, perhaps, it is only in their
journey to the rivers mouths that they
have to run the gauntlet of seals and sea-
lions, for they probably have a capacity
for standing deeper water than their
aforementioned enemies. But if their
ocean history is little known, their in
land career is interesting enough TO make
up for it. From the moment the salmon
enters the river, which it is sure to seek
once 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 about
between fresh and salt water. Whether
it shrinks from encountering the sudden
change from salt water to 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 re-
pugnance to making the change to fresh
water, it makes a rapid charge up the
river for the clear gravelly streams. Now,
paradoxical or unreasonable as it may
seem. it stops eating. Nothing is ever
found inside of California salmon to
show that it has eaten particle of food
in fresh water. As a proof of this state
ment, out of great many thousand spec
linens that have been examined, no food
has been found in the stomachs of any,"
OF the skip-ja member of the fly
ing-tish family, it is stated that it "does
not swim deep in the water, and in its
harmless manners resembles the flying
fish, as well as in the prosecutions it suf-
fers from the ravenous inhabitants of the
ocean. The methods it adopts to escape
from their pursuit are peculiar. 1t is
sometimes seen to rise to the surface in
large shoals and fly over a considerable
space. But the most interesting specta-
Gle, and that which best displays their
great agility, is when they are followed
by large company of porpoises, or
their still more active and oppressive
enemies, the funny and bonito. Multi,
tudes then mount to the surface and crowd
on each other as they press forward.
When still more closely pursued they
spring to the height of several feet, leap
over each other in singular confusion,
and again sink beneath. Still further
urged, they mount again and rush along
the surface by repeated starts for more
than 100 feet without once dipping be-
meath or scarcely seeming to touch the
water"
The common sunfish is found to be very
intelligent. 1t prefers still and clear
waters SIN the spring the female pre-
pares herself a circular nest by removing
all reeds or other dead aquatic plants
from chosen spot of foot or more in
diameter, so as to leave bare the clean
gravel or sand. This she excavates tc
the depth of three or four inches, and
then deposits 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 enemy and i
restless and uneasy until she has driven
it away from her nursery. We often find
groups of these nests placed near each
other along the margin of the pond or
river that the fish inhahit but always in
very shallow water. These curious nests
are most frequently encircled by aquatic
plants, forming a curtain around them f;
but large space is invariably left open
for the admission of light
OF the swOrdhsh it is stated that when
excited its motions are very rapid and
nervous. They are sometimes seen to
leap entirely out of water. 'It strikes
with the accumulated force of fifteen
double handed hammers. It's velocity is
equal to that of a swivel shot. Many
very curious instances are on record Of
the encounters of this fish with other
fishes, or of their attacks on ships. What
can be the inducement for it to attack
objects so much larger than itself it is
hard to surmise. 1t surely seems as
though temporary insanity sometimes
takes possession of the fish" An old
swordish fisherman told Mr.. Blackford
that his vessel had been struck twenty
times. There are, however, many in.
stances of entirely unprovoked assault on
vessels at sea. The largest one ever
taken by Captain Benjamin Ashby, for
twenty years swordfsh fisherman, was
killed on the shoals back of Edgartown,
Mass. When salted it weighed 63G
pounds. It's live weight must have been
as much as $50 or 500. Its sword meas.
ured nearly six feet