Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-18
LIFE IN GULF WEED.


All Sorts of Curious Animals Journey
with the Gulf Streams Current.
1t is surprising what curious creatures
live in gulf weed. Not the least extraor-
dinary of these inhabitants of the float
ing alg@ which are borne ON the current
of the gulf stream is little fish that
: makes its nest in the weeds. For its
own protection from enemies, it is made
30 like the weeds themselves, being or
ange colored with white spots, that one
cannot detect the scaly animal without
actually taking handful of the vege-
table stuff in which it seeks shelter and
scrutinizing it. The fish builds its nest
by binding together punches of the gulf
weed with long, sticky gelatinous strings.
Its eggs are laid in cavity. Its very fins
are finger shaped, counterfeiting the form
of the weed fronds. They are more like
hands than fins, and are actually en-
ployed 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 it an
endless stream of life in connection with
the gulf weed which floats upon it in
s'windrows." The weeds, of varied
kinds, bring with them from the tropics
creatures multifarious, conveyed by the
mighty river of warm water through the
midst of the colder ocean. Most of them
die when the cooler latitudes are reached,
and thus it happens that the larvae OF
many forms are found on the shores of
Nantucket and elsewhere in places to
which the adult animals are unknown.
They never live to grow up.
The floating gulf weed is literally
crowded with life. One cannot pick up
piece that does not carry many shrimps
or prawns of different kinds as passen-
gers. There are crabs, too, small and
bigger, which mostly initiate the grasses
in their coloring. Of smaller crustacea
there are numerous species, such as the
so called "sea fieas' and barnacles.
Barnacles are crustacea which have un-
dergone 'retrograde metamorphosis,"
as it is termed, having been free swim
mers in the early stage of their existence
They, too, take passage on the seaweed
rafts 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 true mollusks also. Another mollusk
often picked up among the gulf weeds
is the beautiful argonaut, q cephalopod,
celebrated in mythic story. 1t is only
The male has no shell, and is very small
comparatively
There are lots of curious marine
worms among the gulf weed, such as
the ''sea centipedes," abundant in the
West Indies, which have long detach-
able bristles that sting the hand like
nettles when the animal is incautiously
grasped. These worms hide in crevices
of floating driftwood The latter floats
until destroyed by the boring of the ship
worms THAT attack it, meanwhile afford
ing "a lodgment for barnacles and little
crustacea. Small fishes follow the
pieces of driftwood as they are carried
along by the current, feeding upon both
crustacea and barnacles, while many
seabirds skim about depending for their
meals upon the same small animals.
There is species of crayfish, too, found
in the weed that makes curious click
ing noise with it's claws.
What most people call the .'fruit' or
''seed pods of the gulf weed are simply
little air vessels designed for the purpose
of keeping these interesting vegetables
afoat. Microscopic creatures called
''brivzoa" weave around the air cham
bers delicate lacework, which often
remains in shape after the vegetable
matter has decayed away and disap-
peared, thus forming exquisite filamen-
tous capsules. However, these are only
a few of the passengers that journey by
the path of the gulf stream on rafts of
drifting weeds.-New York Sun.