The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-10-10
SEA HORSES AND RIDERS.
Birds Resting on Whales and Other
Fish in the Opean Ocean.

Fish in the Opean Ocean.
Yes, we see curious things once in
a while" said a San Pedto fisherman.
"a few days ago l made a trip over
the Santa Catalina channel for a load
of abalones that they pile UP at the
isthmus for me every few months, and
when l got off there about ten miles l
saw a big loon sitting on what seemed
like a spar. But while l watched, it
seemed to fall off, then circled around
several times and alighted again, re-
tanning its position with much diff
Guilty. The wind had almost died
down, as we were in the lee Of the
island, and we slowly drifted up to
the bird until we were within so feet
of it, when l saw what the roost was,
not a spar at all, but a big fish-one of
those fellows the Italians call the
luna, because it was like the moon.
This luna was the biggest one 1
have eyer seen, and was so old that it
was covered with goose barnacles and
looked more like a piece of wreckage
than anything else; that is what the
bird probably thought it was.
The fish lay almost fiat ON the water,
with one big fin sticking out, the other
being under the water, and the weight
VI Ilc DlIu Iluuc IL lc ONcI W OuC
side. AS we neared it the bird rose
and flew away and the fish straight
ened up; but it made no attempt to
move away as we came alongside, and
1t looked to me like a fish over 100
years old. l struck it with an oar, but
it moved only a little way off, then
came to the surface again.
81 saw something as curious last
y,noro nnntin1aI thn AcIopp,nn SIN
August the waters of the islands off
here from San Clemente up are filled
| with fish that are spawning. The wa
ter will then be covered in places with
small birds that look like snipe, and
it is a common thing to see them
swimming about in schools of hun
dreds. On this trip l kept my eye out
for whales, as a brother-in-law of
mine was n whaler at Point Iona,
and wanted to know the outlook for
whales up this way. When about half
way over, right in midchannel, | saw
the spout of a big gray whale, and the
next minute saw the back of the
whale, about twenty feet of it, as black
as ink upin the blue water. To my
surprise it did not disappear, and I
soon concluded that the big creature
was either asleep or lying on the sur
face summing itself.
"As we came nearer | saw at least
fifty little birds running about on it's
back, feeding upon the various para
sites on the whales back.
"We lay off and watched them for
some time. They ran up and down
Just as they would on a beach, and 1t
occurred to me that it was not an ac-
cident, but that there was some I'M
derstanding between the whale and the
birds. In other words, the whale
knew that the birds were relieving 1t
Of many parasites that it could not get
rid of in any other way, and cOnse-
Quently submitted to their running
over it. Finally it's big fukes rose in
the air, the cloud of birds flew away
and the whale. probably with a clean
back, sank out of sight.
"On another occasion as | was cruiS-
ing down by Ensenada. | ran into a
little bay one day and l saw what L
supposed to be a log floating on he
surface, as on it were numerous BIRDS,
some walking about. others apparently
asleep. AS we ran in nearer | saw
that it was a big sea turtle asleep on
the surface, and the birds alighted
upon it's bread back as they would
have done upon floating timber. They
flew away as we came alongside, n
we put a harpoon into the turtle and
took it, after it had towed us about
the bay.
up around Monterey a gigantic
shark is sometimes caught in the net
of the fisherman. It's length ranges
from twenty to forty feet and Is
known as the basking whale, from the
act that it floats on the top OF the
water, literally basking in the sun
light-much after the fashion of the
sunfish. This affords a veritable float
ing island for the various sea BIRDS
that rise from it in a cloud as boats
approach and sometimes ride upon It's
back exposed
There are other sea jockeys than
those mentioned. The writer some
time ago caught a large hammer-head
whale off Redondo Beach. This big
creature lowed the boat o FOL
nearly an hour, and when brought III
sight of the boat it was seen to nave
several ~riders-fish, lmost pure DlacR
and a foot in length-which were at
tached to the shark. The shark was
struggling and fighting, and cutting
through the water with powerful rush
es; but the little fish still chung to IL
and, finally, when it was hauled p o
the beach, the little back attendants
came with it. They were clinging tt
the shark by a curious sucker on the
back of the head that resembled TIM
Stats of "a Venetian blind; and the sue
ton was so powerful that when tht
j. plate or sucker was attached IL was
! extremely difficult to pull 1t Off d!
main force. Half a dozen of thest
riders accompanied the shark II the.
, are sometimes seer accompanying tur
; des-and may be called the real jock
, eys of the sea.-New York Mail ant
Express.
, The United States Government
Chemist. after an examination for tn
. Indian Department, made the emphat
ic statement that 1.-THE Royal Baking
Powder is the purest in quality ant
: highest in strength of any baking pow
I -. oe ,,l;,h r lava EnnuIp1 90