The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-09-27
THE HABITS OF FISH.
SALMON ARE THE FIGHTING ROMEoS
OF TIE Funny TRIBES.


trlch Combined I'm Digestive Pow
crs. and the Bluensh lis the Most
Bloodthirsty Thing In Nature.
1t is not too much To sag that In some
ways the love OF salmon passeth that
of women. To reach the objects OF
their affection they perform feats and
undergo hardships greater than my
man could do or bear. and to maintain
it they fight with courage and fury
which might make many soldier en-
vious.
The salmon trials begin when they
first 'caye the sea OH their long up riv-
er journey to meet their sweethenrts.
Presently perhaps they meet Il high
waterfall. Then the salmon backs
away as far as possible, makes loco
motivelike rush and leaps for the top.
He actually whiZzes through the mir,
his tail moving like lightning. his
scales shining like silver enamel. Per-
haps he fnils to reach the top by n foot,
but he catches the water hangs sus-
pended for a moment and then with y
miraculous strength forces his way up
Perhaps the next waterfall Is five
feet higher. and the salmon leaps In
vain. Then. finding the feat impossl-
ble, he actually climbs the sides,
jumping UP from ledge to ledge and
resting In little pools until the river
above Is reached. Then hc goes on
pushing through rapids and founder
ing over shadows until the spawning
ground is reached. IN many Of the
larger rivers of this continent the sal.
mon is no beauty when he reaches his
journeys end. His scales perhaps arc
worn OF, his fms torn. and his body Is
mass of bruises. But nevertheless
he woocs his ladylove boldly, caresses
her tencorly. fights his rivals flercely
and wins his bride like, solder.
But all fish are not so romantic. Tho
Goldfish. for instance. is unsentimental
and actually ridiculous. He is q great,
gray. ugly fish. and his name itself Is
absurd. IL there werc such q thing as
submarine humor, he would figure in
It as the goat does In our own comics.
The codfsn has, In fact. an appetite
which makes the goats look pale. and
when fishermen cut the fish open they
assert that they often find such things
a5 scissors. suspender buckles. horse
shoes. potato patings. oil cans, door
knobs. marlin spikes. corncobs and
india rubber shoes.
Another startling story told by fish.
ermen 10 that in heavy weather cod
fish eat stones to bauast them, but 1t
Is more likely that th.Je rocks are tax
on IN vryHI o<A
Of which the Goldfish are very fond. 1t
may bo inferred that Goldfish do not
object to nibble the fingers or hands
OF human beings. because the wedding
ring Of q drowned woman was once
found In q Gods stomach. and tho flnd-
er got big reward for It's return.
Oysters and CLAIMS In the shell are
very popular with the Goldfish, and
fhero are vast heaps Of dead aheals in
the ocean. "nested" together like
strawberry boxes. which ara believed
to have once been in the otomnche OF
Goldfish. The spDetites Of these ash
are insntiable. They will all their
stOmachs. all their outlets and all their
mouths with food and still try to get
more.
II people knew more about the flsh
they eat. it 10 possible 3flnt sllce. OF
baked bzuu'' might I'LL many q man
With shuadesins horror, soS the blue.
GSh is perhaps the most terrible and
bloodthirsty thing In all nature. The
tiger has a sweet and cheerful dlsposi-
tion compared to the bluefish, the
ehnrk seems phlegmatic and nmiable
creature, and the wolf. by comparison.
is positively mild. The blueflsh make
:Ge2Aaaaii their ssIeOiai prey. Wnen
school OF these fish perceive bluefish
near. they swim away with such terri.
flc haste that the ocean foams under
them. but the bIuefish cannot be dis
tanced. They rush among tho help.
less menhaden. biting. tearing, thrash
Ing and even throwing them into the
air.
They do not stop to swallow their
prey. but Kill purely for the love OF
slaughter. Tho sea 10 reddened with
blood and dotted with dead flsh, but
bluefish kill on until exhaustion stops
them or until the menhaden get into
such shallow water that the blueflsll
do not care to follow. Sometimes these
helpless fish are so blind with terror
tbst they swim ashore and are piled
up in windrows o foot deep.
The bluefish do not eat one-tenth Of
the f'sh they E!!.. although when sur
feitca they aro believed by some peo.
pie to disgorge their food In order to
take In another meal. 1t is estimated
that during fair season 1000. 900
blueflsh arc caught between New Jer.
sey and Monomoy and that about O99.-
100000 remain uncaught. Thirty or
40 fish are sometimes found in the
stomach OF one blueflsh, but placing n
bluehsh's Kill ut only ten per day it
viii be seen that during their four
months yearly stay on the Now Eng
land coast they destroy about 1,2OO,-
100000. 10000 fish, and that is exclud.
Ing the vast numbers OF minute fish
eaten by little hlueflsl, which arc not
included in the estimate. Carried into
avOirdupois it Is calculated that 9 500. :