Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-08

A Curious Tribe Of Flshes With Weird
characteristics.

Characteristics.
FACTS ABOUT THE srINaRAY, DREADED BIZ THE
TROPICAL FsHERMEN-sEA DEVILS THIRTY FEET
LoNa WHICH ATTACK BOATS AND CARRY OFF vEs-
sKIs-rHH TORPEDO FISH AND ITS BATTERY.
seTHERE ARE NO MORE CURIOUS
l. fishes in the world than those which be-
long to the order Of rays" said an ichthyologist
the other day to a STAR reporter. Certain
members Of the family are familiar enough I'M
der the name Of skates Their only fault is
ugliness of aspect. You have to go to tropical
waters in order to find the dangerous and
otherwise extraordinary members of this tribe.
mot the least unpleasant of them is the
'stingray,' which is quite common in Florida
waters. Imagine a gigantic fat fish with great
feshy wings; give it breadth across of seven
feet, a length of twelve feet and a powerful
tail armed with an ivory dart ten inches
in length. Such is this remarkable animal,
which has caused the death of many an
unwary fisherman. 1t is slow of mo-
ton, lying on the bottom and enjoy
ing life harmlessly unless interfered with.
But once disturbed it is n dangerous creature
to encounter When alarmed it lashes about
with its tail and woe to him in whose flesh the
caudal weapon sticks. The latter is a needle
shaped instrument with the keenest possible
point, and on both sides for its entire length
1t is armed with barbs, pair upon pair. so that
when once struck in it cannot be withdrawn
save by cutting it out OF its kind it is the
most formidable weapon with which any ami
imal is equipped by nature.
THE POISONOUS DART.
This sting as the fishermen call it. is
chiefly dangerous because of the slime with
which it is covered. The latter gangrenes the
wound it makes. SO that blood poisoning is apt
to set in. and frequently the loss of limb, if
not of life. results. | myself once met man
who had nearly died from stepping upon the
dart of dead stingray, which. though its
former owner had long since passed away.
stuck up in the sandy bottom of a shallow
lagoon. Nv friends foot was thrust through
by 1t while he was wading Tor crabs When
one Of these creatures lis dragged into boat
the utmost care has to be ICED lest it wound
its captCr by the switching of its tail. One who
walks in the shadows of southern river finds
II very unpleasant to zee occasionally n section
OF what has appeared TO be the bottom perhaps
several feet i'll diameter move SLOWLY away Just
as he Is about to step upon it. The animal as
sumes Il likeness III color to the sand or mud
where it finds its home. in order that prey may
the lurking monster.
The stingray is sometimes called the clam
cracker. because it is able to break the shell of
the toughest quahaug easily the operation
can be performed with hammer. Its upper
jaw is furnished with sort of mosaic pave
ment of teeth, with which it is able to smash
the hardest substances. 70 oyster beds the
creature Ii deadly enemy, and where its spc-
cies is numerous the bivalves have to be pro-
tected with fences. Crabs. sea snails and squads
furnish large part of its diet. When it loses its
sting by an accident another one grows. 1t
is sold tor eating purposes in the New Orleans
markets. The meat Is very peculiar and quite
unlike anything else. the muscular tissue COM
posing the wings being of so coarse a texture
that, after the flesh has been boiled, one can
dlssect the hbers out upon ones plate. These
wings are merely pectorel fins enormously de-
veloped. They, as well as similar parts of
skates and other rays. are sold in considerable
quantities at San Francisco to the French and
Italians. who value them for the table. Skate
tails are largely eaten on the Pacific coast by
the Chinese and Mexicans.
THE DANGEROUS SEA DEVIL.
''Skatcs lay eggs, though all the other fishes
Of the order of rays bring forth their young
alive One may pick up plenty of skate eggs
anywhere on the seashore. Children call them
sea purses They are rectangular almost In
shape, with long tails at each corner, and about
three or four inches in length. 1t is merely the
shells that one finds. the young animal having
IL.
The stingray produces from three to nine living
young at brood but it's cousin. the formidable
sea devil, gives birth TO but a single offspring
at Il time. i'll which respect it is probably
unique among the finny tribe.
Much OF the romance that has been written
about the sea devil or true devil fish is based
on fact. 1t is one of the most dangerous mon
sters of the deep. at all events when attacked.
Animals are formidable in two ways-.hey DOS
sess natural ferocity which impels them to
attack, or they may be fierce in self-defense.
The sea devil will always Iun away if it can, but
it is most periious beast TO encounter when
defending itself To begin with it is of enor-
nous size. often measuring 80 feetfrom tip to tip
OF Its mighty wings. and ITS muscular power is SO
enormous that many cases are well authenticated
where it has actually carried away small vessels
having become fouled with the anchor lines
There is on record an account of a specimen
captured off Barbadoes which was Of such vast
bulk that seven oxen were required to draw it
over the land.
'.The sea devil will undoubtedly assail boats
II attacked, and stories are told of its swamp
ing such small craft by extending one OF It's
great wings out of the water and dragging
crew and bark under the sea with flap OF the
giant fin. 1t has two great horns or feshy
protuberances extending forward from its
head which assist it in grasping its prev
Being carnivorous in its habits there is
every reason FOR supposing that it would de-
YOUR man II such victim should happen
into its clutch. Accounts are given of itl
assailing divers. swooping upon them from
above, so that the unfort unate beholds living
cload settling over him with eager Jaws to
gObble, while helpless to escape the horrible
embrace. However. it is doubtful if there is
any truth in such tales. Doubtless with its
tremendous bulk and double heshy beak to
grab with. this mighty ray must be an awful
adversary to tackle Ii is said to be particularly
fierce when accompanied by its Offspring.
You may find i'll the sea devil a curious
illustration of natures system for adjusting
reproduction. The cod lays several hundred
thousand eggs at a spawning. because nearly all
OF them must necessarily be lost while floating
on the waves and those which hatch are mosti '
deyoured. But the sea devil. which produces
but a single young one at a time. retains the
latter in its belly until the infant creature ID
from four to six feet in length, 80 that when
born it is able to take care of itself and is in NO
danger of being destroyed.
THE TORPEDO FISH.
'More remarkable, perhaps, than even the
sea devil is another member of the ray tribe,
most familiar under the name OF torpedo OF
'cramp fish 1t has two complete electric bat
teries on either side of his head, constructed
after the most approved scientific principles
Each of them consists Of about 40 cells in the
shape Of six-sided tubes placed side by side
The wallis of these cells are lined with nerve tbs
sue and each oneis filed with clear, trembling
jelly. Precisely how many volts this duple,
} galvanic apparatus is capable Of administering
has never been determined, but frequent ex
perience has shown the power to be sufficien