The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1891-04-18
WHENCE FISHES. co4oRs COME.
Why They Ar. the Mea Decorative oi
Animals In Thts World.

WI, They Ar. the MeG Decorative Of
Animals In This Worii.
"Therc are lots of fuzzy things to be
told abou, fish scales" aoAl naturalist
the other day to writse: for the Wash
ington Star. ''The surfqDe OF the scales
ordinarily is covered VT ~ thin, silver
coating, which derives brilliant me
tallic lustcr from the pDence Of many
crystals composed OF - and sub
stance known as 'gun This coat
ing Is easily rubbed on. ed In one sort
of European carp, cal the bleak,
the crystals are no Euin Dnh that me
tallic pigment II dcriy from them,
known In the arts as n entinc, which
Is used to impnrt lust to the glass
globnles sold under the me OF Roman
pearls When the silv coating Is alb
sent the scalca Of u ID nr. lusterlcss
and transparent, as in2the ease OF the
smcit, the abdominal (kvi,y Of which,
however, has II briiiisp sil,ery lining
composed 81 the same sgpatanee.
Every one knows ,m observation
that the fishes OF the wqtlf ars tbs most
gorgeous II animal. IH POINT of color
ing. The COLOR they exhibit are often
due 10 simple arrnngcmen, Of pig
mcnt cells, but tho brilliant ard change
able hues. which eonstitutr the great
est beauty Of ihess crrnturs, arc de-
rived from two causes very wide apart
An illustration Of on, Of thess may L.
observed la the scales oi lie herring,
shnd or mncis.r-i. i-ing tru. iridcs'
ccnc-. similar to that ...n In the pearl,
and du- Ia TIA. r.frae,lon Of th. rays Of
light a. they Rlanc. OF he surfaces OF
the thin plaira ~ whlesi iii- h.'ali's are
composed. Niorc frequently, however,
the enlnra,i"n II dc.s nd.'r.' on the nr-
rang-meut II the piflRen. cells that arr
Ia the lower laycrn Of the outer akin uf
the ilsh.
'In hsh. when the black plsgnrH,
pFrduit.iua,rs, the color II ho!al-g, a. Ia
the adult tautoif. \ slight ai;nlstarr
- yellow Elyrs ihc hr1H1r-lilSc hur 10
tils eel. gEd il,tlc moEs oi Ilsc hIInc,
II yHu PLEASE. results II, the brighter
green - tie black iHsa nnd tho tlur
nsh. Rcd pisus-ais iHl.rnilZsi with
black give tie dInry lrUsn 81 the
carp aud n1inr u tlic chliiah.s, When
the yellow aud Frd ui'l1unitsE the black
cells thrnr r,-slil the i.way -nipns II
the .uHnshrs. lhr cga'as and 80 rune
vAri,tlra 10 tho rli Red rlgiHrni criis
la tile lover slra'a - the ou'sF skln
alone cautr tbs hriiii.li tsaEir' u the
rri snapFrF sal "a" rsrgi.ii. hfi when
,h-sr af, Fsp~Frci with hissk the
,ic-p-r COLOR - the inlnsTuv- snapper
and ,hu ru,iiy varsity "f the sca r.y-n
result. wiicH tho pi.gn-ts erils sa'4rr
Into srpsra'r gr1aIss arc"ssiins g. color.
haHds. s'Fipys, aputa As;.l s,isAiHs.s. int
nitr ia ,i,rir varsity. av tpuri.
'ln iish. Es Ia other animals. alhlnocs
d~ruF. N-ry sagiuyss srr the aihlnn
ha,l.lnrifs "crasl1Haiiy taken "n our
coas,s. The SANS phrncsssnun u ai-r
observed Ia li"an'l-rrs, carp AMI -Cis- In
,i.r ,lcp,iis II the sea, ~hcrc lish, IL
ss-aa,y. many aaiscs a,s-sr la sv,nsin
l-s.,.sn-u,l, stiiinu~ss 80.
'si'tsire VERY c.itatins.s> enhnsr Their
color. a. harfssanisr with The bottoms nr
Which ulry iis.'. for ihr sakr ~ -fstcrai'
,nrn,. This Ia accomplished i'y the
sprcial srcrr'ian af ;he pfuPrr pig
tis.,si, on certain isd.rs along ~"
New i.nria,id shuFr tho fosiie arr cps-
rFs,i wish ,.rns- Erpwihs II searir, Htl'i
crimson s~asFrs.i. ani TIC nsisrs which
frvquras t'.fir nsishbo'haad isrr"sn~
tlu,rd a.vuFiiariy, u, haa i-vn aug.
fr,,-,i. ~ ,hr way. shat tbs pink ~ ihr
salnun's Issh ls duo - Tbs sis,"fp'ina
u ,itr rpIurins matter o, tho rrtis'a'
ccsns They icri aPan. Probably ihr
hEiiliau, uulpFagiun - many kinds II
lsLcs is ,irsiapsd - na,urc 'n attract
the opposite sex. as tho hrag,y -!
rcacorA's tail ss iH;ruslcd foe 'h- sanc