The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-10-12
GREEDY PORPOISES.
They are ms Cunning ms Monkeys and as
Strong az Ponies.

Latest advices from the south oi
France intimate that the porpoise is
lording it in most annoying fashion
on the Mediterranean flood. Your sea
swine is an aggravating beast, full OF
cunning and prompt at a practical joke,
and he is more than the municipal
council of st. Nazaire can any longer
put up with. This body has requested
the French Minister of Marine to form
Commission Ito study the physiology
of porpoises," that by so doing it may
be discovered how to secure their abb
sence from the neighborhood of the
shore during the fishing season, The
porpoise is an intrusive neighbor, and
he will call at the very moment when
the inhabitants of st. Nazaire and
other places have pressing engage
ments of a differentnature. However,
though we may smile, it is really no
laughing matter, and the Minister has
taken up the question in all serious
ness. He has appointed committee
for the purpose of studying "la ply
siologie des marsouins." and the re-
port of the Chairman Prof L. Perrier)
is in our hands. 1t will be melancholy
reading for the Council of st. Nazaire.
1t appears that it is an old complaint
that the porpoises OF the Mediterranean
commit intolerable depredations. 1t
appears that each generation of por-
poises is a little cleverer than its for
bears; and, whereas the porcine rascals
used only to drive the fish into nets or
shallow water, they now encourage
them to be caught, that they may them
selves feast on the netted captives.
The Department of Marine has often
been asked to interfere, and as early
as 1865 the commander of the Mediter-
ranean feet formed scheme for the
destruction of porpoises, which was
like one of the wolf-laws of the middle
ages. A fee of five francs was offered
for every head of porpoise, a sum
raised at last to twenty-five francs.
Special nets were devised, aud the
fishermen of Marseilles, Narbonne and
Port Vendres put their heads together
to entrap their enemies. As matter
of fact they found it easy enough to
catch the porpoises, and plenty of fish
as well. But here came out original
sin in the wicked cetacean. The
nets were slyly drawn close; the
porpoises meanwhile ate the fish, their
fellow prisoners, until, just when the
space within the net began to lessen
seriously, with the inimitable grace of
Il flap of their tail fins, they lightly
sprang, like salmon, over the edge OF
the net and into the ocean. The fish
ermen of Marseilles, Narbonne and
Port Vendres, wild with rage at being
fooled in this way, once more brought
the conduct of the porpoises before the
notice of the Government.
The Minister was shocked, but could
suggest nothing. Three other COM
munes thereupon requested the depart
ment itself to undertake the chastise-
ment of the porpoises. There was
long delay; but at length two gunboats,
the Ayene in 1888, and the Albatross
in 1884, were sent to punish the sport
i've pirates. They shot torpedoes
among them, and fired cannon galore.
The result was melancholy in the ex-
treme. A few porpoises were killed.
but not many; the majority fed out to
deeper waters; but, alas! the fish fled
with them, so that it was more than
week in each case before the fishery
could be recommended. And when the
fish came back, like the ghost in the
laureate's poem, the irrepressible por-
poises returned in their company. The
new report is not more encouraging
than the former ones have been. 1t
says that the porpoise is an animal
"fort agile" and that the use of artil-
lery against him is worse than useless.
1t can only suggest in melancholy
way that 1.-THE fishermen who complain
of the depreciation of these cetaceans
would do well to unite in organizing
porpolse hunts, or else in forming
mutual insurance against the injuries
they commit. Meanwhile the depart
ment might continue to indemnify to
certain degree the proprietors of nets
which have been injured in any "very
preposterous degree" This is cold
comfort, and is, in fact, another way
of saying that nothing can be done
with beasts that are as slippery as
trout, as cunning as monkeys, and as
strong as sponies-Saturday Review