The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-08-15
HAKE AND
- ABoal 5. rsealne HabIs.

N
These 1--WE Fishes.
The hake, which grows to be eight or
ten pounds or more in weight, has nO
ventral fms; in place Of them it has two
tactile organs commonly called f~eelers.
which grow n on each side from the
extreme forward part Of the under side
of the body, just under the gills. The
feelers are, perhaps, a fifth as long al
the fish, whitish in color and very sleai-
der in form; when straight, or nearly SO,
they look each like a slender bwig hav-
ing a single branch projecting from 4,
the branch being not so long a the
main stem; it is something like a two
tined fork, with one tine longer than the
other.
The hake is mainly a demonstrating
fish, and 1t uses these feelers in search
ing for food. When simply swimming
about it carries them lying straight and
snug against its sides; but when it is
using them it swings them out in any
direction and at any angle, in the same
direction or Independently, one point
ing one way, the other another way. r.
might throw both feelers forward as a
man might throw his hands up over his
head, or itmight throw out forward
from the body at an angle of As degrees
and the other backward from the body
at the same angle.
The feelers are very sensitive to touch,
and the fish swings them about with
great quickness and facility, curving
the ends to bring them to bear more di-
rectly. The hake eats small fish, but it
eats chiefly and likes best small crusta-
ceans of one sort and another, crabs
and shrimps, and SO on, which it finds
on the bottom. 1t swims along close to
the bottom, and touching along with
it's feelers as it goes. 1t may come to a
little crab, out of sight, but covered with
only a very thin layer of mud or sand.
The crab, liable to attack from various
enemies, shrinks from even the delicate
touch of the hake's feeler, communi-
Gated to it through the sand. Slight as
the yielding of the sand may be, it is
communicated to the bake by the sensi-
tive feeler. The hake stops; if it has
overrun the spot it backs to it. If the
layer of mud or sand over the crab is
very thin and loose it might move it
away with its f~eelers; it would be more
likely, however, to displace it with it's
nose, which would be its usual method.
The hake inspects marine vegetation
with its feelers with the same facility
and delicacy of touch. 1t may run over
n bed of sea lettuce lying in light puffy
masses upon the bottom, making no per-
ceptible impression upon it, but throw
ingitsfeelers forwards as it goes, the ends
of them curved downward like fingers
and feeling along with marvellous quick
ness and lightness, and with perfect Ger.
tainty of touch.
The sturgeon has four barbels, two
on each side of the under side of the
head, forward of the mouth, which Il
uses in providing itself with food in
somewhat the same manner that tine
hake uses its f~eelers; but the sturgeon
has another and vastly rougher method
of supplying itself with flood. The stur
geon of the waters hereabouts grows tx
weigh 200 pounds or more; it has a long
pointed snout, ca~rtilaginous, but stout
It's mouth, which is on the under side o
the head and at some little distance
hack from the point of the head, is whar
is called a pFotractile mouth; when no
in actual use the mouth is about fusE
with the head; when in use tits thrown
downward something as a telescope cur
might be; the mouth of a hundred
pound sturgeon would project two q
three inches, and the surgeons mouth
has a powerful suction.
The sturgeon is exclusively a bottom
feeded. 1t likes any sort of crustaceans
such as shrimps and crabs, and is partic
ularly fond of such mollusks as clans
and snails. For its size the sturgeon has
rather a small mouth; it can't eat very
large food, and it would be pretty slow
work for it to provide itself with it's foot
in detail; SO it makes a rush at the bot
tom and plows a'furrow ten or twelve
feet long in the mud. Into this furrov
drop crabs and other small c~rustacean,
and snails and CLAIMS that may have beer
dislodged by turning up the mud, anl
maybe some sand shrimps, and they
may lie there for a little time or follow
the furrow, perhaps, to get out, instead
of climbing the sides. The sturgeon
waits until the water has settled {
little, or the tide has carried away thu
thickest of the floating mud, and ther
he goes back over the furrow with his
telescope mouth extended and gathers
up his prey-N. Y. Sun.