The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-07-26
FAv0RITE FOOD OF FISHES.
The Cod IS MOI Particular ani VIII Eat Al, Old
Thing BIusflsh Prafer Msnh,tan

The Goldfish is unsentlmentaI ana 40
tually ridiculous. He is a great gray
ugly fish, and his name itself is oh
surd. II there were such a thing as
submarine humor he would figure in #
as the goat does in our own comics
| The Goldfish has, in fact. an annetite
which makes the goats look pale. savs
the st. Louis Glove Democrat and
when fishermen cut the fish omen thew
assert that they often find such things
as scissors, suspender buckles. horse
shoes, potato parings. oil cans. door
knobs. marlin spikes, corn cobs and In
dia rubber shoes.
Another startling story told bv fish
ermen is that IN heavy weather cod
fish eat stones to ballast them, but IL
is more likely that these rocks are tak-
en- in while attached 70 sea anemones
Of which the Goldfish are very fond. Vt
may be inferred that goldfish do not
object to nibble the fingers or hands of
human beings because the wedding
ring Of a drowned woman was once
found in Gods stomach, and the find
er got $50 reward for IT'S return.
oysters and CLANS in the shell are
very popular with the Goldfish. and
there are vast heaps OF dead shells i'm
the ocean, 'nested" together like
strawberry boxes, which are believed
10 have once been in the stomachs Of
Goldfish. The appetites OF these fish are
Insatisble. They VIII f!l their mouths
with focd. and still try 10 get more.
IL people knew more about the fish
they eat, IL is possible that slice OF
baked blue" might fill many man
with shuddering horror for the Dluefish
is perhaps the most terrible and blood
thirsty thing in all nature The tiger
has sweet and cheerful disposition
compared TO the bluefish, the shark
seems a phlegmatic and amiable crea-
ture, and the wolf. by comparison, is
positively mild. Bluensh makes man
haden their especial pretty. When a
school of these fish perceive bluefsh
near they swim away with such ter
rifle haste that the ocean foams under
them. but the bluefish cannot be dis
tanced. They rush among the helpless
menhaden biting, tearing thrashing
and even throwing them into the air.
They do not stop to swallow their
prey, but Kill purely for the love OF
The sea is Redeemed with
blood and dotted with dead fish. but
80 PAaNAioAi NH VII ulAll tAilduHAlhI
stops them. or until the menhaden get
into such shallow water that the blue
fish do not care 70 follow. Sometimes |
these helpless fish are So blind with |
terror that they swim ashore and are |
piled up in wind rows a foot deep.
The bluefish do not eat ue-tenth Of |
the fish they kill, although when sur
feited they are believed By some peo-
pie To disgorge their food. in order to
take i'm another meal. II is estimated
hat during fair season 1.000, 900 blue
fish are caught between New Jersey
ana Monomoy. and that about 999,999,-
,oo remain uncaught Thirty or forty |
'ish are sometimes found in the stom-
zen OF one bluefish. but placing a blue
lshs XIII at only ten per day IL will be
seen that during their four months
yearly. stay on the New England |
'oast. they destroy about ! 200 600 600
100000 fish, and that Is excluding the
'ast numbers OF minute fish eaten by |
ittle bluefish, which are not included
n the estimate. Carried into avoirdu-
'ois 1t is calculated that $500, 100000 |
,ounds Of fish are eaten daily by blue
lsIl. nevertheless they are very hand
ONE and graceful FISH. Nrey little Is
lnown of their other habits hut they |
re so nervous while in captivity that
hey develop corns on their noses by |
rylng TO push the latter through the |
lass sides of their tanks.