Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-02-11
voRAclTY OF THE GOLDFISH.
Queer Things which Are Found
Sometimes In Their StOmachs.

queer Things which Are Found
Sometimes In Their Stomachs.
There was recently printed in the
Sun dispatch from Essex, Conn, tell
ing 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
Industries of the United States"
Goldfish feed upon all marine ami
mails smaller than themselves which
are found in the same waters with them
and are digestlble," says the writer. at
would seem useless to give a catalogue
of the species which have been discov-
cred In their stomachs. For long pc
Rod of years, before our naturalists
learned to use the hand dredge, n ia
vorite place " which to search for the
rare invertebrates of the deep water
was the fish dealers store, and from the
stomachs ofcodfish scores of shells new
to science have been taken. Since the
introduction of improved methods Of
deep sea research this mode of collects
ing has been somewhat less prosperous,
but even at the present time many i'm
portant additions to zoology are year
ly made by the aid of this omnivorous
animal
Goldfish swallow blvalve shells Of the
largest size, like the great sea clans,
which are favorite article of food on
certain portions of TIE coast; for In
stance, In Ipswich bay great beds Of
empty shells of the sea clam, Mactra
oyalls, may be found upon the botioSn.
These shells are 'uested,' the smaller
inside of the larger, sometimes six or
seven In a set, having been packed to-
gether In this compact manner in the
stomachs Of the Goldfish after the soft
parts have been digested out. Some of
them had shreds of the mussels remain
ing in them and were quite fresh, hay
ing 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, which
doubtless originated in the same man
ner. Mr. w. II. Dali found some similar
beds on the coast of Alaska which he
attributed to the walrus, but which are
more probably the remains of mollusks
eaten by the Goldfish,
"They feed also upon crabs of all
kinds, Holsters and starlish, and have
been seen at the surface catching the
potato beetles and June bugs which
have drifted out from the shore. II is
said that they succeed occasionally In
capturing duck. The Gloucester Tel
egraph of May 6, 1857 reports the Vine
yard Gazette as chronicling the fact
that one James Osborne took Goldfish
at the South side which weighed over
GO pounds. On dressing 1t two full
grown ducks Told squaws) were found
in its entrals. They were quite fresh,
having most of their feathers on. Cod
fish vary their diet by browsing upon
carrageen, or Irish moss, which grows
on the lodges near the shore. In search
ing at the bottom for shells and worms
Goldfish often pick up objects which can
hardly be regarded as nutritious. A
very amusing catalogue Of such objects
might be included in this chapter, In
which would be enumerated articles
such as scissors, brass oil cans, potato
parings, corncobs and the head OF {
rubber doll. The finding of finger rings
and fragments of oil clothing and tht
heel of boot inside of large codfsl
has suggested the idea that sometimes
they swallow the fishermen.
"a wedding ring which belonged tC
Pauline Burnam, an English lady whit
was lost in the steamship Anglo-Saxon
wrecked off,Chance Cove, n. f., in 1861
was recently restored to her relative!
by st. Johns fisherman, who found th,
ring In the entrails of a Goldfish. Thu
lucky fisherman received present o
C so for restoring the highly-prized me
mento to the ladys son. Boston Jour
nal, July 6, 1871
"Stones Of considerable size are Offer
found in their stomachs, and fishermen
have theory that this is a sign Of al
approaching storm and that the flsl
thus take in ballast to enable them t,
remain at the bottom when The water
are troubled. 1t is more likely tina
these stones are swallowed on accoun
of sea anemones or other edible snh
stances which may be attached to them
In just the same manner that the shell
OF mollusks are taken in for the SAX
OF the nutritious parts which they con
tain."-N. Y. Sun.