Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-07
FISHES THAT MAKE NESTS.
They Arc Found In the Sargasso Sea.

ofail5c as II may appear there are
i,7htH Wilch hulld nests and deposit eggs
therein ainld the many wonders of the
"ceah' b"t only thote who sail leiaurely
through the region or the Sargas,so sea
nave an oUpottuntv for thn observation
or THESE curious marine architects A
vessel passing. let us say. from the Bpr-
inudas Ia the Azores traVerses some two
thousand miles Of ocean which takes the
name o. the SargaSSo sen from the guam
uti"s OF Heating weed tSargaSSInl hacci-
iefum| tound only ut the surface Of the
water from 20 tn 30 degrees north latitude
reference to The physical atlas shows
| that the area comprises the sl,ucn be-
tween th" great equatorial ruircnt and
the "urving sweep Of the Gu.f Stream
winch * detected hy Inc American CONT
hclN-a huRc vortex surrounded ~ cur
| rents rather than swept by them. The
| masses of Ycllow-broWn weed iiuat in
| patches two Ia three yards IN diameter.
| or sometimes in fields several acres in
| extent. The growth is perfectly vigorous,
and II is evident that the organism-ori;c-
| aallN torn away from the rooted environ
! m"nt-haa learned to perpctuate itself lt
! IN" ocean Surtace. Roots have merged
| INTO fronds, sporc reproduction is lost.
| ana the plant survives and multiplics
solely by subdivision.
The floating slcts of scaWced, more
1 over support Il whole series of animal
| life found ia no other part of the world.
| remarkable for tn" protective celebration
! ana SinEularly adapted for pclagic exist
/ "nce Prominent among these are certain
! species OF fishes which are 50 peculiar in
/ their habits that some description may
not be out OF place The first thing il to
catch your FISH. not always such an easy
| matter HS the ship sails before tho wind.
! III fact mt speed of over four knots
/ fishing operations are useless. The most
7 tNcctu3l plan is tn construct a grapnei of
| twisted wire, having six or eight curved
| hooks or prongs radiating from a common
/ centre, the whole contriNance being firm
I ~ attached to fifty or sixty yards of line,
I III this manner III" patches Of floating
/ weed can he hrappled AS the ship passes
/ by tn" excitement Of throwing with more
or less accurate aim being quite sutii-
| cicnt "a while away the afternoon. \
! successful shot buries your grapncl in the
heart of a great mass or weed. ana tho
capture is at once drawn up from the sea
ANA deposited on deck-in bucket Of sea
/ water FOR choice. \ few moments serve
to show that the fronds literally swarm
with living things rimps. mollusca
wrigRiing worms tish and zoophiIes, y
assuming the notified yellow brown tiHt-
Of the weed a crabs back oXactlF 5cs m
bles the yolors If the hryozoa -iufe-tc d
sedweed.
- inc mass expands itself IN tho buckle
4 pair If brown fishes notified aN nvel
with yellow and white. reveal themselves
tcutan2led in TIE branches. IN snap liE,
/ ar angl"r-ush, 10 which they are .t3e"d
/ rclstcd. IN, h0dy of this AptcnalrN@-
. cariou-ly tltiek lu proportion 70 length
ia about SiX inches long. With au eN1:-
NOUS head ana ueiy mouth. The eyes .r,
bright green sttidw tuhercles cover ht
body "u3 fringe the fms me tail is sad
denly attvuuated. The most n3uceahlt
character ct III" fish IA the modincJtiag
of the pccrHral fins, wnich arr proloneot
from tn" c4rp,l Joint int" reguEn tIa+l-
rrS ar fingers. Tho tu In short. Is like q
hand Fhc made " smaller than thn Tyr