The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-09-10
A GIRO ULAR FISH.
It Had Become So Through Growing in
the Interior of Human Skull.

It Had Become SO Through Growing in
the Interior of Human Skull.
"The strangest fish story l eve:
heard was an experience had myself"
said Judge Scudder. ofAtaluma, as he
settled himself back in his big arm
chair, while a reflective look passed
over lis open countenance.
1T was in the summer of 80, think,
that an fastener and myself started
out ON the warpath for fish. Salmon
Creek afforded fine fishing for salmon,
trout and salmon trout as well, and
many were the stories of mammoth
fishes caught there which were waited
10 our ears when our friends learned
of or destination, to all of which my
friend from the East listened incredu-
lously.
This stream, as you know, flows
through a narrow defile, with precip-
;tous sides. and winding around consid-
erably after leaving FreestOne finally
empties into the Pacific, and right near
there we had our headquarters-at the
Ocean View House-tramping up the
narrow canyon each morning with bait
in ourselves as well as the fishes.
1--WE had good spOrt-fne luck, in
fact, for two days, and on the third
Gay chose a very wild spot and seat
ed myself on a large rock Overhanging
the creek. / fished with q line and rod,
using the same old-fashioned sort Of
worm did as a boy. There was no
need 10 use the more scientific fly when
fish were so easily caught.
"The Fastener was down stream a
little way, and everything was intense
ly solemn and quiet. When / felt a
fierce pull on the line 1 reused up at
once, and pulling up what should 1 see
come bobbing to the surface but hrl-
man skull, which, to all appearances,
had swallowed the bait through it's
eyes. Naturally my otherwise steady
nerves were considerably shaken, and
with a sort of howl L started back sud
denly, which motion swung the grue-i
some thing rather sharply against a
rock. whereat it cracked apart and the
several pieces-to my relief-slid off
into the stream leaving dangling Oh
my line a most peculiar looking fish.
almost white and forming an almost
perfect ring.
II quickly jerked the hook out of
it's gllis and let it drop into the clear
water, where it went through the
straagest motions, still keeping its cir
cular shape. 1t was unable to swim,
but twisted around in the water, Or
moved with a wheel-like motion. NY
friend, who had been attracted by my
howl: arrived just in time to see some
of the eccentric gyrations. and l really
believe if he hadn't actually seen it he
would always have said it was a Cali
fOrnia yarn.
eve afterward came to the cOncIu-
sion that the fish, when small, had
strayed into the skull, and probably
through some motion of it's own had
turned the ruin over and so closed it's
mode of egress, though it could easily
survive and grow On the food which
came floating by. and there it ;contfn-
ued to grow, only in a ring, till the
worm: falling through one of the eye
sockets, provided a mode of relief FROM
its cramped quarters
I'VE quit fishing for that day. and it
was some time before l could eat fish
without a thought of this strangely i'm
Drisoned curio."-San Francisco Call.