The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-01-21
LAMceRs oE rHE sAoALs s.
The Pugnacious stingray OF Southern
Waters.

Waters
One OF tho most dreaded fishes OF the
southern woters is the stingray (trygon
sabina), which is generally known as
the stingaree, clamcraclter and conk-
crusher The two latter names are
given it from the readiness with which
il can crush hard shells. 1t is constant
denizen Of the bracBish streams and the
shoal waters along the coast, where its
favorite food, such as oysters, clans,
crabs sea snails, squids and kindred
creatures, abound. Being membe OF
the shark family it has no gill covers,
so the water passes through five
elongated apertures on each side OF the
head below.
The body is little broader than it is
long, and the fore part is blunt. The
fins are very large and wave up and
down in the water like the wings of n
butterfly in the air, when the fish is
swimming. This motion is called
"sluddering" by some fishermen and is
very graceful. The tail is stout and
armed with one or more bony spikes
varying from two to ten inches in
length, each of which is barbed along
the sides like fish hook, and can be
erected or depressed at the pleasure of
its owner.
When the fish has only one large
sting n smaller one is usually found at
its base, and is ready for use should an
accident befall the other. This sharp,
barbed weapon is rendered the more eff
fective by covering of virulent slime
which soon poisons the blood of any
creature into which it finds its way.
The common stingray frequents shoal
water with muddy bottoms or spots
where aquatic weeds grow in profusion
and lies in concealmcnt while searching
for or waiting for its prey. Being of a
| brownish- black line, it is not readily
seen in such places, and this makes it
| all the more dangerous to bathers and
fishermen, for it strikes fiercely at any
thing that disturbs it and then tries to
escape under the veil of cloak of mud
which it raises by beating its large alar
fins against the bottom.
It's method of striking an object is to
throw its long tail obliquely forward,
and the lancet being about the center
Of the upper part, it rarely misses its
aim. The puncture made by the point
looks very small outside, but it is large
inside, as the barbs tear the flesh and
produce such agonizing pains that they
make man delirious unless proper
remedies are applied to the wound.
A lad who was bathing in the harbor
of Cedar Keys was struck by stingray,
but he paid no attention to the blow,
thinking the pain would leave him il
he remained in the water. Instead oi
leaving him, however, it increased each
moment, until, finally, he found him
self unable to swim or walk and had tc
be taken home in a wagon. Medical
assistance was promptly summoned, but
nothing could save him, and he died
| that same night of poisoning of the
blood.
The best remedy for the wound of {
stingray is poultice of baking sodt
, and little laudanum poured into the
puncture. / have always found this
efiicacious, but where it cannot bt
, promptly obtained an excellent substi
tute is poultice of wet hardwood
, ashes, rs their alliali neutralizes the
; acid poison of the slime that covers the
lancet
: lIdTRc NCCp W NtCS per "iGS'
than the small and are therefore les
. liable to be encountered by bathers ant
4 fishermen. A blow from one of tn
former would, apparently, cause imme
/ diate death, they having strength
: enough to bury the lance to the hilt il
the body of man.
Stingrays vary all the way from tw,
pounds to 400 pounds in weight, anC
= from twelve inches to twelve feet il
sa-length, but the average weight of th
s Qsult fre9uenters of shoal water may b
i placed at thirty or forty pounds and tn
r maximum at sixty. At a superficial
glance they look to be of equal length
J, and width; the fins seem very wide ant
!, The tail about third or fourth tn
). length of the body, unless it has beel
t mutilated in combats
This species produces its young alive
S the number at birth varying from tw
:, to six While the young are il
II their birthplace they have their fin
:. doubled over the back of one and tn
}. abdomen of another, thus bringing tw
fiat surfaces together. This arrange
n ment gives them as much room as pos
d sible and keeps organs useless for tn
T. time out of the way. The young ar
# able to take care of themselves at a
early age and are as pugnacious as will
# cats. They often fight one another de:
"a perately on sandbars and make charge
that keep the water turbid for severa
= minutes. Their system of fighting is t
i rush under one another, stir up the mu
II to conceal themselves and then strils
If right and left with the long and elasti
is barbed tail.
It They are as good as any of our tlatfs
v for table, but, owing to their viviparor
;s character, they are rarely eaten in tn
- nth. They also afford fair sport {
q the ang'e er, as they will take fish c
u crab bait and sometimes pull his boz
a. along with the hook, they being yer
r. strong for their size. Detroit Free Pres
n CHINESE JEWELRY.
Things otherwise Useless Turned tnt
1t Graceful Ornaments by the OrientalS.
IS Nothing is wasted in China. I'll
g stones of various fruits and the shel
of nuts are cleaned dried and carve
lr into ornaments of the most gracef,
1r kind. Among the stones used are I'll
ID olive plum, peach lai-chee and cherr
and of the shells, the walnut and coco
I'd nut. The stones are selected with car
le each must exceed certain standard
size, proportion, hardness and weigh
1 81 ,,y.1,