The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-08
PiscATORIAL ODDITIES.
Species That Are Unknown to Our Iniand
Fishermen.

Species That Are Unknown to Our Iniand
Fishermen.
What curious piscatorial oddity is
the sunfish or what is known in ich-
THEOLOGY as the orthagoriseus a genus
of the order piectognath.
In the United States when sunfish
are mentioned the pretty little flesh
water fish are referred to more fanil-
iarly and styled pond perch. and elias
sifed By Storer under the head OF
pomotis. The name sunfish is as much
a misnomer in this instance as in the
case of the selachus maximus, the
huge baslting shark, which appears so
often on the Atlantic coast of Europe
and on the coast OF Australia
in summer months The basking
shark. the largest fish of the
North Atlantic, attaining length of
over thirty feet. is often COMPOUNDED
ter. it selec IS the warm seasons and
the calmest weather for its appearance
on the surface of the ocean. 1t is,
therefore, no wonder that so few peo-
pie really know what sunfish is. The
genuine suntish is tailless. trunkless
specimen, usually from seven TO nine
feet in length. 1t is almost as broad
as it is long, and looks much like a
head chopped off from some gigantic
sea monster which seems to jump above
the water in order to breathe its death
gasps. In its anatomical peculiarities
it bears great resemblance to the
globefshes, yet it seems to have little
akin with its diminutive counterpart
of the Indian ocean. the ortha-
goriscus truncatus. which rarely eX-
ceeds a length of two feet. At some
distance it looks like big black head,
surmounted with large, broad
brimmed hat, and certainly presents
very grotesque appearance. Only the
rudiments of tail can be discovered,
and it is a conundrum to seamen and
naturalists how it is enabled to make
any Roadway in the water at all, rely
ing, as it does, on it's dorsal fins for
steerage and propulsion. To one who
for the first time beholds this spectacle
on the smooth surface of the Atlantic
on a midsummer afternoon, Of these
bulky heads bobbing up from the deep,
some jumping several feet in the air
and then suddenly splashing back, it
is most interesting sight. They
seem to be a. gregarious set, as
they are generally encountered in
large companies. never in rough
weather, however. As they appear to
be attracted by the bright sunlight on
warm and calm days, when they come
to rise, rest and play on the water.
they have gained the name of sunfish.
which title might be properly shared
by the basking shark did the latter not
already bear the name OF his species.
The sailors are generally besieged with
questions by the passengers who do
not know what they have seen. Then
these wise marines tell ia bulous stories
about their size and actions. how that
some of them are as large as small
ships, and that the time of their APP
pearance denotes either bad or a
good omen. Although their meat is
very unpa lata BILE and nothing has been
found about them that is of
marketable value, yet no more
the crew than when the captain per-
mlts them to undertake q hunting eX-
petition on these harmless and thus
faI useless animals. AS these innocent
creatures bob up serenely' in their
interesting sport they have not the
least premonition that at the next
jump perhaps they must lose one of
their happy company as playmate for
ever. The sailors are passionately fond
of this sport. There is no thought of
ever enjoying this fun on steamer.
1t is too noisy conveyance. Only on
sailing vessels is this diversion in
dulged in, and that very seldom now
adays, and in this busy age even sail
ing vessels have little time to spare.
AS soon as the game is spied in the dis
lance the captain must allow his ship
to repose for a few hours. The gig
is cleared and lowered. Two men
handle the oars and one is equip
ped with knife and gun. Noise
lesslv and swiftly they row to the
tumbling place of the fishes. Hours
sonnet times pass by before one of them
makes the kind of somersault which
best suits the aim of the sportsman,
when the shot is fred and the heavy
body drops fiat on the water. while the
loud report of the gun and the great
commotion in the water subsequent 10
the fatal shot causes sudden disap-
pearance of the rest of the fish. At
once the boat rows to the spot a rope
is thrown around the bulky fat body,
and it is hauled aboard weighed and
measured As it is neither fit to eat
nor to sell, it is again thrown over
board, and thus the sport is ended.
They weigh. as rule. from one hun
dred and fifty TO two hundred pounds
each liz the British museum there is
one on exhibition which was caught in
1916 near Portland, Dorsetshire, which
measures seven feet six inches.-Illus-
triefte Welt.