The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-05-17

iaSl struggles changes through iii us various
coloTs. One can even see the coloTs disappear
to be followed by others They seem to sweep
as a wave over the body, beginning with the
head. Blue gives place to light yellow which
in turn changes to a golden hue, and following
this a copper-colored tint and so on through
all conceivable hues until finally,
THE END HAVING COME,
change is interrupted in its course, and two
tints are left in possession of the body, one in
the act of disappearing, the other about TO
spread itself over the surface. The upper side
changes more rapidly, and is more gorgeous
than the under surface, which is hidden in the
shade. This peculiar habit, possessed by so
many widely-diferent animals, of changing
color at will, either as a protection or for the
purpose Of attracting prey, has become so much
a habit in the dolphin that, even when death
Is at hand, involuntarily the changes are all
passed through. This animal IS not the true
dolphin, though called a dolphin by sailors.
1t is fish, whereas the real dolphin Is one Of
the cctacea, belonging to the porpOise tribe.
During the warm Summer days in the Gulf
Stream, while waiting for the dredge to obtain
lis load of precious deep-sea animals, 1t was
my custom to sit on deck near the railing and
gaze upon the wide-spTeading eXpanse of sky
and water. One eXpanse of blue was every
where, the sky and sea meeting in the distant
horizon, and the only obstruction to the view
being space. We seldom saw q vessel IN these
Out-Of-the-Way waters for the outside edge OF
the Gulf Stream IS out of the track of sailing
vessels. But where the works of man are
absent nature reyes in all her moods. The
azure-blue waters tcemed with abundant
life, and the air itself had its inhabitants.
The stormy petrels, or Mother Cary's chick
ems, followed US wherever we went,
only leaving Us when we neared land. They
are ever on the wing, dashing ahead of Us and
playing around US, even when we are under
full steam and yet they never seem to be tired.
They live on the particles of food that are
thrown from vessels and, although continually
eating, they areuevcr fat, for their constant eX-
ercise viii permit of nothing but muscle. strong
and well-deYeloped by constant use. These
sea swallows hover over their food in such
peculiar manner by patting the water with
their Webbcd feet and quickly tapping their
wings, that they appear TO stand on the water;
and following the food as il is dTifted by the
wind, they appear to walk along.
Sailors regard these birds with suspicion and
even fear. Their superstition is very great
and the presence of petrels is regarded as a
curse. To kill them wautonly would be to
court disaster. Before a storm the petrels
CHATTER AND SCREAM
in an excited manner, and if the sailors would
but take their warning they might consider
them as beueiactors rather than evil genii.
Their breeding season is very short, and they
rear their young on the islands of tho ocean.
In a few days the young are able to fly, and
they follow the calling of their parents-the
| securing Of the open and stormy seas. As they
are always ut sea, their breeding season must
/ be very irregular. In a few hours they can
/ cover hundreds of miles, so rapid is their
| fight.
One day while watching the fight of these
! interesting birds, / saw another kind of crea-
! tuTe dart from its native home and for the
moment take up its existence in the air. 1t
was hyiug-Gsh; and as l was watching it.
| saw the reason why 1t left its native element.
| 1t had barely escaped from the water when a
/ huge fish came to the surface with mouth wide
| open IL the very spot where the flying fish had
| left the water 1t was baiiled for the moment,
1 but kept on in its pursuit, bound to hunt the
| poor fish 10 its death. The hying-fsh sailed
for some feet, and falling into the water
! barely touched it when il made another
frantic leap into the air and start
| ed of in another direction. This was con-
| tinued for some moments and at each leap into
| the air the dolphin was seen TO be close upon
1 it. ] was very much interested in the pursuit,
/ but was il danger Of losing sight of the fish,
| when another factor came into the chase. The
/ leaps Of the fying-fish were becoming shorter,
| aud every moment ] expected to see it disap-
! pear for the last time, when, just as it was
! leaving the water, large albatross swooped
| down upon it, and the fish darted right into
/ its claws. 1t flew, so to speak, from the frying
pan into the fire. ] could not help feeling deep
pity for this poor. unfortunate FISH, beset by
dangers on all sides, and my reflections upon the
4 lot OF animals were not Of the most cheerful
/ kind. They live in their element surrounded
/ By Thousands of deadly enemies, eating smaller
animals, only to be eaten the next moment
I themselves.
In the night time, as we steamed along in
| the Gulf Stream, We often passed through
MILES OF LIQUID FIRE
/ and turned up silvery waves of living light by
: the PROV of the vessel. Large schools of Jelly
! fish, transparent and jclly-like in the day, be-
! come in the night one glow Of pure white light
almost as intense as the electric light This
/ phOsphoresccuce is possessed by many animals
/ The little FREELY carries its tiny phosphorescent
/ light with il; the deep-sea animals light NJ
their abysscs Of total darkness with phosphor,
escence, and each fish darts about, specteT-like
| over IN Illuminated pathway. The ielly-fsh
/ lights up the water around it as a warning tC
| fishes 10 keep away. Young and inexperienced
fishes, attracted by the brilliant light, approach
/ It out Of curiosity and receive deadly electric
shock. If one escapes, pierced by only few
Of the barbed lasso cells, covered with then
electric poison, it has learned a lesson that il
viii never repeat; and when it has become an
adult 1t still has a deadly terror for that bal
/ OF light and instinctively avoids it. The Jelly
fish IS thus free from the large and dangerou!
surface animals, while it obtains its food from
| the smaller fishes.
Through some curious freak in evolution, ar
entirely inoaeasive cluster Of animals, deyoiC
OF any protective power, has gained the use 0
ph0sphorescent light, and, by initiating the
dangerous jelly-fsh in this respect sails abou
the surface inspiring terror wherever it goes
among animals that could easily deVour il
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