Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-05-21
Llee IN GULF WEED.
All sorts Of Cnri"u. Animals Journey
with the GaIf stream's Carrent.

with the tsuu streams
1t Is surprising what curious creatures
live in gulf weed No, the least extraar-
dinary of thcs. inhabitants Of the float
ing algP which arr, borne on the current !
of the gulf stream Is little fish that
makes its nest in the weeds, For its
own rvotection from enemies, II is made
4 SO like the wtcls themselves. being or
ange culor.d with white spots, that one
cannot detect the scsly animal without
\ actually taking handful oi the vege-
table stuff IN which II seeks shelter and
scrntinizing H. The fish builds Its neat
/ by binding together punches Of the gulf
weed with long, sticky gelatinous strings.
Its eggs ARE laid in cavity, Its very fms
are finger shaped, counterfeiting the form
OF the weed fronds. They are more like
hands than fins. aud are actually em.
ployed for walking through the sesweed,
rather than for swimming. The fish
utilizes them also in putting together its
nests.
The great gulf current, in ia course
northward along the Atlantic coast and
around the great circuit that forms with
its eddy the famous Ssrgasso sea OF
marine grasses, carries along with II AN
endless stream of life in connection with
the gulf weed which floats upon 1t in
"windrows. The weeds. of varied
kinds. bring with them from the tropics
creatures nultifarious. conveyed by the
mighty river of warm water through tho
midst Of the colder ocean. Most of them
die when the cooler latitudes are reached,
and thus it happens that the larve OF
! many forms are found ON the shores OF
Nantucket and elsewhere in places Ia
which the adult animals are unknown.
They never live TO grow up.
The floating gulf weed is literally
crowded with life. One cannot pick ur
, piece that does not Garry many shrimp:
Q or prawns of different kinds as passen
sS-s There are crabs too, small ant
: bigger, w.:i'h mostly initiate the grasses
' In their coloring Of siaaller crnstace'
D there are numerous species. such IA ,h,
so called '.sea tieas" aud barnacles
= Barnacles are crustaces which have un
l. dergone ''retrograde metamorphosis
y Ms IL is termed, having been free swim
y mers in the early stage of their existencr
- They, too, take passage ON the seawee'
u ratts and voyage Ia the land Of nowhere
n seeking their fortune
p In the gulf weed also is an infinit
number of mollusks, some with shell
and Others without any. Among tn
~ latter are the "sea slngs. resembling th
garden slugs. devourers OF plants, whic
W are true nollusks also. Another mollus
- often picked up among the guilt weed
y is the beautiful argonaut, c-phalopo'
~ celebrated ia mytnic story II is Onl
q the female srgonaut that is interestinI
III The male has no shell. and is very sma
:, comparatively.
~ There are lots Of curious mari
70 worms among the gulf weed, such
40 the "sea centipedes. abundant in q
ss West Indies. which have long detac
" able hrisiies that sting the hand n
ei nettles when the animal IL incantiOus
Vi grasped. THESE worms hide in crevic
NJ Of floating driftwood The latter hoa
oy until destroyed by the boring of the sh
ea worms that attack 1t. meanwhile affor
~ mnu ing lodgmrnt for harnucles and lit
TN crustacea small fishes follow {
'"s pieces of driftwood as they are CARR
ss. along by the current. feeding upon bo
les crustacea and harnacles, while maj
HfAulTls rkiIll hbphl uelNh'hHr Apt WV
M sh meals upon the same small aniIna
no no There ia "a species If crayfsh, too. foul
10 in the weed that makes u curious ellie
ing noise with its claws.
What most people call the fruit"
"seed pods Of the gulf weed are SIM
y, little air vessels designed for the purpc
'as Of keeping these interesting yegetab
afioat. Microscopic creatures call
'ty "briyzoa" weave around the air cha
'ot bers delicate lacework, which of
remains IN shape after the vegeta
matter has decayed away and dis
ias peared. thus forming exquisite filam
tous capsules. However, these are o,
q few of the passengers that journey
the path Of the gulf stream on rafts
ha drifting weesls. New York Sun.