The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-11-14
LIFE IN GULF WEED.
All Sorts or Curious Animals rhat Jour
ncy with the GuIf stream Current.

| ncy With the GuIf stream Current.
1t is surprising what cnrious Great
| ures live in gulf weed. Not the least
extraordinary of these inhabitants of
the floating alge which are borne on
the current of the Gulf Stream is IA lit
| tie fish that makes its nest in the
weeds. For its own protection from
enemies, it is made so like the weeds
themselves, being orange -colored with
white spots. that one cannot detect the
scaly animal without actually taking a
handful of the vegetable stuff in which
it seeks shelter and scrutinizing it.
The fish builds its nest by binding to-
gether lunches of the gulf weed with
long, sticky. gelatinous strings. Its
eggs are not laid in cavity, but are
distributed through the mass. Its very
fms are finger-shaped, counterfeiting
the form of the weed -fronds. They are
more like hands than fins. and are
actually employed for walking through
the seaweed. rather than for swimming.
The fish utilizes them also in putting
together its nests.
The great Gulf current in its course
northward along the Atlantic coast
and around the great circuit that forms
with its eddy the famous Sargasso Sea
OF marine grasses. carries along with
1t an endless stream of life i'm connec-
tion with the gulf weed which floats
upon it in "windrows" The weeds,
of varied kinds. bring with them from
the tropics creatures multifarious, con-
veyed by the mighty river of warm
uai inr Q IS .. "A
ocean. Most of them die when the
cooler ATTITUDES are reached
The floating gulf weed is literally
crowded with life. One cannot pick
up piece that does not carry many
shrlmps or prawns of different kinds
as passengers. There are crabs, too.
small and bigger. which mostly imi-
tate the grasses in their coloring OF
smaller crustacea there are numerous
species. such as the socaIIed ''se,
heas" and barnacles. Barnacles are
crustacea which have undergone "re-
trograde metamorphosis," as il is
termed. having been free swimmers in
the early stage of their existence. They,
too take passage on the seaweed RATS
and voyage to the land of nowhere,
seeking their fortune.
In the gulf weed also. is an infinite
number of mollusks, some with shells,
and Others without any. Among the
latter are the 'sea-slugs," resembling
the garden slugs. devourers Of plants,
which are pure mo!lusks also. Another
mollusk often picked up among the
gulf weeds is tue beautiful arg0naul. "A
cephaIopod. celebrated in mylhic story.
IL Is only the female argonuut that il
interesting; the male has no she'll, and
Is very small comparatively.
There are lots of curious marine
worms among tHe gulf weed. such as
the ''sca ceut!pcdes." abundant in the
West Indies. which have long detach-
able bristIes that sting tue hand like
nettles when the animal is incautiously
grasped. These worms hide in Gre
vices OF floating driltwood. The latter
floats until destroyed by the boring of
the ship worms that attack it, mean
while affording n lodgment for bar
nacles and little crustacea. Small
fishes follow the pieces of driflwood as
they are carried along by the current,
feeding upon both erustacea and bar
nacles. while many seabirds skim
aoout, depehulhS Tor their meals upon
the same small animals. There is Il
species OF craytish, too, found in the
weed that makes curious clicking
noise with its claws.
What most people call the fruit or
seed pods of the gulf weed are
simply little mir vessels designed for
tue purpose of keeping these interest
ing vegetables ailoat. Microscopic
creatures called ''briyzoa' weave
around THE air chambers Il delicate
lacenork. which often remains in shape
after the vegetable matter has decayed |
away and disappeared. thus forming
exquisite tilamentouS capsules. How |
ever, these are only IL few ot the pas
sengers that journey by the path of the
Gulf Stream on RATS of drifting weeds. |