The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-29
voRAcITY or THE coDFIsH.
Queer Things Found Sometimes in
Their StOmachs.
From the New York Sun.


From the New York Sun.
There was printed recently in the Sun
a dispatch from Essex, Conn, telling of
the finding of watch in the stomach of
goldfish That incident illustrates the
voracity Of the Goldfish, and many stories
Of the same kind are related in The
Fisheries and Fishery Industry of the
United States"
Goldfish feed upon all marine animals
smaller than themselves. which are found
IN The same waters with them, and are di-
gestible" says the writer. 1T would
seem useless TO give catalogue of the
species which have been discovered in
their stomach For a long period OF
years. before our naturalists learned TO
use the hand dredge, favorite place
in which to search for the rare inverte-
brates of the deep water was the fish deal
er's store. ana from the stomach@Sf cod
fish, scores of shells new to science have
been taken. Since the Introduction of inn
proved methods of deep sea research this
mode of collecting has been somewhat less
prosperous, but even at the present time
many important additions to zoology are
yearly made by The aid of this omnivor-
GUS animal
Goldfish swallow bivavle shells of the
largest size, like the great sea clans,
which are a favorite article of food on
certain portions of the coast; for instance,
ia Ipswich bay great beds Of empty shells
.! the sea clam. Mactra oval.s, may ne
found upon the bottom. These shells are
nesled the smaller inside of the larger,
sometimes six or seven in a set, having
been packed together in this goldfish
manner in the stomachs of the Goldfish
after the soft parts have been digested
out Some of them had shreds of the mus
ses remaining in them, and were quite
fresh. having evidently been but recently
elected by the fish. In Dana's Geology
are mentioned great banks of dead shells
off the Island of Grand Manan, when
doubtless originated in the same mannel.
Mr. w H. Dahl found some similar beds
on the coast of Alaska, which he attribu;-
ed 10 the Walrus. but which are more
probably the remains Of mo.lusks eaten by
the Goldfish.
"They feed also upon crabs of all kinds
Holsters and stariish and nave been seer
at the surface catching the potato beetles
and Juneb ugs which are driftcd out from
the shore. 1t is said that they succeed
occasionally in capturing duck.
The Gloucester Telegraph, of May 6
1851 reports the Vineyard Gazette as
cnronicling the fact that one James Os-
borne took a Goldfish at the South Side
which weighed over sixty pounds. Or
dressing it two ful-grown ducks (olt
squaws) were found in its entrais They
were quite fresh, having most of theil
feathers on. Goldfish vary their diet bA
browsing upon cara geen, or Irish moss
which grows on the lodges near the shore
IN hill
worms. Goldfish often pick up objects
which can hardly be regarded as nutri
tious. A very amusing catalogue of sucl
objects might be included in this chapter
In which would be enumerated article.
sucF as scissors brass oil cans, potato
parings. corn cobs, and head of a rubhe
doll. The finding of finger rings and frag
ments of oil clothing and the heel of
boot inside of large Goldfish has sug
gosted the jdea that sometimes they swat
low the fishers.
A wedding ring which belonged 10 Paul
| inc Burnam, an English lady who was los
in the steamship Angio-SaXon, wrecl5e,
off Chance Cove, Newfoundland, in 1861
was recently restored to her relatives b,
81. Johns fisherman, who found tn
ring in the entrans of a Goldfish. The luck
fisherman received a present of ESQ 70
restoring the highly-prized memento t.
| the lady's SON Boston journal. July
| 1S7D.
Stones of considerable size are ofte-
found in their stomachs, and fishermen
! have theory that this is a sign of an an
preaching storm, and that the fish thu
take in ballast to enable them to renal
! at the bottom when the waters are trou
! bed. 1t as more likely that these stone
! are swallowed on account of sea anemone
or other edible substances which may b
attached to them, in just the same manue
that the shells of mollusks are taken 70
the sake of the nutritious parts which the
contain.
1T is believed that certain shoals of cod
fish feed almost entirely a the bottom
while others prey upon fish. The fisher
men claim to be able to distinguish thes
/ two classes by their general appearance
the first being heavier, with shorter head
! blunter roses and smaller fins, and FIRE
quently known as srubbers or groun
keepers, while fish belonging to what ar
known as the squid school, the herrin
school and the liant school, which are prob
ably the same fish at different seasons G
The year, are brighter-eyed, slenderer i
form, with sharper head and in every wa
| better adapted for swift locomotion O
the coast of Labrador, as well as in Scar
dinavie, Goldfish follow the schools {
spawning capelin into the shore and pre-
I greedily upon them and elsewhere az othe
l stc0bio ttlfS AtN1 Win no less XOTaclt
| upon other species Of fish which may b
schooling, and of which they destroy vas
| numbers. such as mackerel menhadei
herring. alewfe. salmon, sculpin. flour
ders, cunners and haddock
In November, 1877. Mr. Vnal N. Et
wards found in the stomachs Of cod take
at No Mans Land many species of fist
some Of which, like Eumesogrammus sui
ifurcatus, are found only az great depth
and others. like the two-spiued stick,
back, Gasterosteus baculeatus, and III
lttle file fish, Manocanthus settler. mu,
have heen taken at the surface or near IL
shore.
con the Grand Banks. especially in sha
low water about the Virgin rocks. | ha,
been told that they follow the liant 10 Il
surface, pursuing them with great fierc
ness. Along our northern coast they n
place to some extent, the voracious blu,
fish and bonito Of the south. Capt. A
wood remarks that the amount Of Zoe
which they consume Is enormous, who
the size OF the fish is taken into accoun
He has seen them on the coast OF LabrI
dor, where the capelin were la great nun
beers, with their stomachs filled TO q