The record-union., 1895-05-15
this creature lays its eggs, but probably
it spawns in the deep sea. The funniest

this creature lays its eggs, but probably
it spawns in the deep sea. The funniest
thing about the swordtish Is that it goes
crazy sometimes. 1t is on such occasions
that it attacks vessels, and in many in
stances it has been known to pierce the
sides OF wooden ships, shrusting its sword
through the copper sheathing and several
inches OF plank. Professor Richard
Owen once said, giving testimony in
court on this subject.
''At full speed the swordtish strikes
with the force Of fifteen dge-hammers
swung with both hands. Its velocity is
equal to that of swivel shot, and the
shock is as dangerous In its effects as that
OF heavy artillery projectile."
There are all sorts of eels in the bottles.
| The breeding OF eels is another mystery.
! Nobody ever saw any of their eggs. The
ancients used To have notion that cells
were developed from horse hairs. An
other theory was that they were the prog
eny of a kind OF beetle. 1t is now
known that they must spawn in the
ocean.
The Smithsonian collection includes
several kinds of fishes that build nests.
One OF these is the paradise fish OF Japan.
When the female is about to lay the male
make a nest at the surface of the water
composed entirely of air bubbles. For
this purpose he swallows air and elects
it in the shape of bubbles, which are
held and made permanent by glutinous
capsules from q secretion In the mouth of
| the fish. Thus a mass Of them is got to-
gether.
The female would devour her eggs i'm
mediately ii permitted, but the male will
not let her do so. He takes them in his
mouth and, going beneath the nest, elects
them, when they rise and find a resting
place among the bubbles. He guards the
nest unIil some time after the eggs are
hatched, making fresh bubbles TO take
the place OF those which burst. These
interesting fishes can be purchased from
almost any tancier, ,and they breed readily
The common freshwater stickleback
is a nest-builder. The male constructs
the nest of vegetable fiber, inclosing the
eggs OF the female, and binds the whole
with a web spun from glands in the body,
as spider does. He takes care OF the
| eggs until the young appear
The most interesting OF all neSt-build-
| ing fishes dwells in the floating weeds of
the Saragossa Sea. 1t has arm-like fore
tins with which it clings to the weed,
| making a nest by binding together a
| glooular mass of it as big as a Dutch
cheese. For this purposes it uses gelatin
Gus strings spun from material secreted
for that object. The eggs are deposited
in the center of the ball.
To most people the notion that fishes
lave voices would seem rather absurd.
ct there are many species which seem
to talk and oven 10 sing. Some familiar
ones, like the bluefish, croal1 when they
are pulled out of the water. They do
likewise in their native element and often
in concert, producing quite musical
effects. A school of ''grunters" will fur
nsh an example. From vessel an
chored in southern waters one frequently
hears at night the slow ''boomb boom'' of
the jewish.
Sailors are startled sometimes by ex-
traordnary noises like the boating of
many drums III the distance. Likewise
produced by fishes were sounds heard by
Lieutenant White, United States Navy,
in 1924, at the mouth of river in Cam
bodia. They suggested a mixture of the
bass of the organ, the ringing of bells
and the tones OF az enormous harp. In
Chilean waters musical cadences are
sometimes hoard rising from the sea and
covering'four notes, resembling the tones
of harp-strings. Tue "maigres'' are
famous for their vocal powers, emitting
loud whistlings and hummings. The way
In which fishes make these noises is as
yet mystery. Fishermen in Eastern
Asia are said to hang little bells on the
edges OF their nets to attract fishes.