The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-22


that he would have been defeated ultimate
ly, and probably killed by his small though
more agile opponent.
There was a time when the manatee or
sea COW was almost as numerous along
the shores of Cuba as the tarpon and sea
bass are to-day. In our own country even
as late as Pres dent Jacksons time, the
Florida Indians were in the habit of chas-
ing herds OF these huge mammals into the
marshes and iuiets and there spearing
them. In Cuba they are yet to be found in
limited numbers. and the low swampy
shores iinig lower Caimanera harbor near
GuantonamO, is one of the places this
rare creature visits annually in search Of
the succulent marsh heritage UPON which
il feeds. Nowhere else in the world is the
genuine sub surface clover, called mauatee
grass to be had in such delicacy and pro
lus.on as in Caimapera harbor The man
aztec is a most fastidious eater, and the
secret of its preference for the place In
question is thus made apparent.
The animal in some ways is a curious
mixture of several other amphibia. resem-
Bling many. hut on the other hand ID Is
in few respects totally dissimlar TO any
other known creature Of land or water
although Il grazes like cow swims like
a fish and lives like a hippopotamus. II
has the body OF a whale, the hide of a
rhinoceros, and its whole carcass from
muzzle to tain is sparsely covered with
short stiff bristles like these on the back
of the domestic hog. II partakes, however
more of the nature and peculiarit Is OF the
hppopotamus than any other living brute
especially In the disl<-like muzzle ana thick
hide. well as in the manner of its eat
ing and style of living; but again. unlike
the latter 1t is not a fighting beast, and its
erazing $ done entirely at night. Being
timid and almost defenseless creature-u
is absolutely harmless in every way-and
possessing a hide that is valuable and flesh
that is wen Favored the natives Of Cuba
have so persistentfy hunted the animal un-
IN to-day like the departed bison OF our
own country, The species Is, almost extinct
Notwithstanding it's thick hide and stiff
bristles. the manatee forms favorite
morsel of food for the hordes of savage
blue sharks and other sea pirates that usu-
ally swarm around these marine pastures;
and were il not for the remark bic speed
with which the sea COW is gifted, the
creature would have been eXterminated
long before mankind came to be party
to its destruction. Soon after birth the
youngsters rapidly accumulate bulk. and
with Increasing age comes the marvellous
speed which enables them generally TO
elude their swift swimming enemies that
are constantly bounding them. In spite
of its great size and apparent unwieldI-
ness, the manatee is by far the most rapid
flyer of all the big sea animals, ana this
appears the more remarkable from IFS
seeming lack of propeling power. The in
significant fiat tail is small, although
thick and would indicate a lack of pro-
pulsive force in consideration of the great
weight of body; and Il would seem scarce
~ possible for the bulky creature to work
it's caudal appendage rapidly enough to
give this body the wonderful impetus
which it certainly attains. Unlike other
natives Of the deep. the manatees swim
t- ehn n1
cut, as is the case with the shark, her
ring. blue fish or tarpOn, nor is 1t placed
on edge-that is, up and down like a rud-
der-but lies fiat and horizontal, totally
dissmilar in every respect from the con-
ventional lines of a good propeller. The
porpoise is the only other tish that has its
tail fashioned in a similar manner
The sting-ray, a member of the skate
family. is another dangerous inhabitant of
Cuban waters. The largest spec men Of the
kind Weighing from 400 to 1000 pounds,
live at great depths, and are seldom found
inshore; but rays from thirty to nifty
pounds are often encountered near the land
and natives consider them to be fully as
dangerous as the octopus or the much
dreaded blue shark. The fish is a large,
broad. fat-bellied creature, with eyes Of
a golden tint a sharp spear-like append
age at the end of the back, and II has
long, slender tail, that reminds one much
OF DldCk snake WHIP \ MS WHIP tdtl
serves as a lariat with which its prey
may first be lassoed, and then the barbed
spine finishes the work by decorating the
victim in a frightful manner The sting
ray is a villainous creature from any other
point Of view, and has no friends in this
or any other latitude
The drum fish Is a huge game fish that
Is very plentiful all along the Cuban coast.
Its limit is about go pounds, and should
an inexperienced angler get one of these
jumbos al the other end OF his line he had
better let go or cut loose, for it requires a
skillful hand to play the drum, who gem
orally pulls like cart horse and is as
stubborn as a mule. ten-year-old Gu
ban lad was snatched overheard by a hun
dred-poun drum near this place last
week and the father only saved his chids
life by Instantly plunging overheard and,
with quick stroke of a sharp knife, sew
ering the line which had become entan-
g,ed around the little ones wrist. Drum
fish in this latitude average from sixty to
two hundred and forty or fifty pounds In
weight and they run in such enormous
schools that their noise at night, when
coasting along the shore, Is distinctly
heard on land. Their scales are used for
the manufacture of buttons.
The largest game and edible fish in the
world is "promoscrops-guasa which Is
the well known jewish. This jumbo Of
the tropics is found particularly plentiful
along the coast of Cuba and, though ang-
lers, like hunters are always after big
game, local fishermen prefer TO trihle with
some other species rather than a jewish.
for he has learned by experience that
there is more danger than fun in sharing
one of these big fellows of the deep. The
Jewish reaches a weight of 900 pounds or
more and is the largest scaled fish that
swms. He is an everlasting and powerful
fighter. and as he takes all sorts of bait
greedily this fish IS perhaps, responsible
for the loss of more tackle than any other
inha bitapt of southern waters. An In
stance occurred recently near here where
a large Jewish easily snapped a shark
hook one-third of an inch in diameter, and
another case happened lately in which a
yawl boat was toWed many miles seward
before the fellow was finally shot and cap
tured The astomshed occupants of the
boat enjoyed the novelty of a fish ride
(much against their wild and when they
brought their prize into Guantanamo har-
Dor there were no scales of sufficient size
to weigh it entire. so they cut the fish
up and the aggregate weight of the pieces