The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-10-06
SEAW Fed.
WONDERS OF MARINE VEGETA-
TION DESCRIBED.
Vast Tracts Of Floating Seawecd in
the Ocean-Thc Homo of In
Vulnerable Strange Ami
malS-Value ofSeawccd.

termed, is found in the Atlantic, and
popularly known as the Sargasso Sea.-a
vast tract of weed, covering an area as
large as the Mississippi Valley. In all,
in the Atlantic and Pacific, there are
four or five such tracts known to mari
ners, and probably Columb Is was he
first white man to Sc, the Sargossa Sea,
his vessel being retarded by 1T. Ihave
rowed among the patches that 60 to
make up this vast collection, and aside
from the interest and wonder which it
inspires from its magnitude, it possesses
great attra't 'ons in the innumerable
st ange animals that End home there.
On my FIRST visit to thi, floating world of
the ocean the vessel upon which was
sailing became becnlmel. and taking
small boat we rowcd well into large
patch of sargassum, which extended away
as far as the eye could rea h, but was
open here aud there. or contained leads
after the fashion of an ice pack, or rather
openings. Into one of these blue rivers
we rowcd and were soon completely en-
vironed byt the olive -huei mass. 1t was
just at the surface, so thlt the tips OF
! the branches offended above, catching
! the rays of the sun and presenting an al-
most bin ling utilization. We soon
reached the end of tho lead and where it
was difficult to push keelcd boat
through the weed. A flat bottomed skill
would have gone over very readily. By
! forcing an oar down through the weed in
this place I Judged that three or four feet
was the create t depth, but in the center
it was undoubtedly mu:h deeper, and
the matted mas, would form decided
barrier tc vessel drawing much water.
While looking at the weed and noting
its peculiar lints, the result of growths
of many stages. I observed small black
object. which, while seemingly forming
a part of the weed itself. appeared to
have separate and individual motion.
Drawing nearer and bending down so
that my face was within few inches of
the wee1, I saw that the object was q
| fish, and moment later it was i'll my
hand. the most curiously formed OF its
tribe, the famous antcnnarius. one of the
most remarkable mimics in the animal
| kingdom. At first glance the novice
would have pronoun cctl the little creature
frog, for 50 large were its pectoral or
| side fins that they really appeared to be
limb; formed for locomot:on on land.
The little animal was about five inches in
length, Of the exact color of the sur
rounding weed, and cover,d upon its
upper surface with barbels of flesh so ut
| terly use ess and fantastic in their ap.
pcarancc that I could hardly divest my
self of the idea that they had not grown
there but were really shoots of the sar-
gassum attached to the fish, but they
were tleshy and part of the protective
economy of the antennarius, rende ing
the animal almost completely inconspic-
uous. doubt if any one not familiar
with the fish and not looking for it in the
gulf weed would discover it, though it
might be directly in front o. the eyes.
This little mimic lives not in the open
water, but directly under the surface,
lying upon the weed, often with its up
per fins exposed, relying entirely upon
its protective resemblance for its safety.
In many observations. made then and Ia
| ter. invariably found them lying upon
their sides or entangl d in the weed.
One of these little mimics was found
near ball of seawced about the size of
Dutch cheese. 1t was merely mass Of
! sargassun coll cted together in oval
shape and n | by bands of q gelatinous
nature. Examination showed that the
leaves were covered with minute white
balls, which looked like beads. These
were the eggs of the fish, and the ball
was its nest. one of the most interesting
structures to be found in the SEA. The
little builders collect the material and
bind it together with the CLASSY appear
ing secretion, which in all probability is
taken from special gland in the
abdomen, as in the case of the stickle-
| back, and so wound about the collection
of weeds.
| The little antennarius is not the only
strange dweller in this floating world.
The crabs, the she'll mollnsks, all
have partakcn of the general tint Of the
weed; in fact, it almost seems as if the
colors and forms of the weci had been
transferred to the backs of the various
creatures, all being perfectly protected
by the curious resemblance.
Seaweed has decided economic value.
By the Cinnamon several species are es
teemc rs articles of fool and are to be
found in many of the shops of Chinatown,
to be made into various soups supposed
to possess certain virtues. The Irish
moss, common on the Eastern coast, is
for sale in all stores, and is collected by
the ton, its chief use being in blanc
mango, etc., while in Ireland and Scot
land the various moses are of great i'm
partance to the poor people along shore,
who rely upon them for food. The sea-
weed about the European coast, and also
to some extent on our own. is used in
the manufacture of iodine and glass and
in various chemical products. On the
coast of South Amer ca the great sub
marine Lamarian forests are found grow
ing Immediately in the breakers, and
presenting the appearance of masses of
huge snakes rolling about in every direc~
ton. Some of these weeds, especially
off the Falkland Islands, attain gigantic
proportions. Some have been reported
as large around as mans body and sew
crll hundred feet long, so that vessels
can we'll drag aboard the upper portion
and anchor by them. Those on the
Patagonian and other coasts have a direct
and important relation to human exist
ence on these shores, as were it not for
the vast beds which break the force of
the sea, no ANIMALS could exist there.
As it is the fishes flourish between the
shore and the weeds, and seals and other
marine mammals exist, and the country