The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
JUMBOS OF TROPIC SEAS.
THE IMMENSE FISHES THAT SWARM
About CUBI'S COAST.

wonderful sawhsh and Its PIlota on the
Hunt for Prey-The Manatee and One
of Its Lsirs-Drum Fish and sting Ray.
GuANrANAMo Cuba, Sept 23 Since tho
American occupation OF Cuba great deal has
boon learned regarding the marine life OF the
waters surrounding Cuba The Spaniards wero
always too busy and the Cubans too Inherently
lazy TO pay much attention to such matters, and
20 II remained for tho Americans to investiga
and discover much that was common enough
heretofore but which had failed Of record for the
reasons mentioned In no other part Of tho world
has nature so freely endowed the waters with
such strange and gigantic forms Of sea fauna as
arc 70 be found along the shores and among tho
reefs OF Cuba Lying on the sands far UP tho
coast beyond Guantanamo harbor and near Cabo
Nais Light there is the decaying carcass of huge
sunlsh that must have weighed fully /, 900 pounds
In life Il was stranded high and dry during
tho late hurricane that swept this part OF tho
West Indies and while II lasted tho mass afforded
feast for hundreds Of scavenger buzzards Al
present little OF this once great fish remains moth
Ing but the bones and framework bleaching In
tho sun
Judging from what is left OF the FISH, II must
have been fully twelve feet thick at It's widest part
II was all head and no body. had no tail. and evil
IDENTIFY had been equipped with two enormous
paddlos-an upper and a lower hn-that must
have been very much similar In size and appear
anoo 10 tho side sweeps OF a canalboat Sunhsh
arc common In tropical waters and Cuban spongers
and divers tell some wonderful stories OF huge
monsters Of this kind they have encountered
among the reefs, when they least expected such
aighs What tho huge unwiedy sunfish was
ever created for in these parts has yet been
able TO discover The balloon like creature is a
lazy swimmer and indolent iorageL II has
Ia not Wit
either offence defence by which to secure food
or beat of enemy. II Is one OF those lubbcrly
monstrositlos tina, has no purpose In anything
and merely exists because II Is alive and grows
because II can't help itself
The shwfsh Is another marine wonder that
Is moro often than heard OF In the West In.
dlea II grows TO huge proportions In Cuban
voters, and reaches size that il rarely attains
in other ATTITUDES Ordinary specimens frequent
ly average 200, 400 and 600 pounds each, while
others pass far beyond these Dimensions and reach
as much as 500 and l. 600 pounds Many con-
found this creature with the swordfsh but the
two species are totally different The sawfsh
belongs TO the group Of rays and sharks, while
tho swordhsh Is allied TO the mackerel family
especially 70 tho giant OF that species the horse
mackerel
A monster sawfsh was beached near Guam
tanamo short time ago by some fishermen who
wero seining for silver mullet When taken
out OF tho water II weig he'd 975 pounds The hugo
fab had plunged into one OF their nets tearing
and ripping the strands beyond all repair, but
al the same tine getting himself so tangled that
in spite OF his great weight and mighty strength
he was easily made q prisoner. A couple Of half
bitches were passed around his clippers and he
was towed ashore and hauled high and dry on
tho sands where his lively antics and powerful
distance His body a precise model OF an
enormous blue shark, including the pointed dor
sal fin and the muscular, fan-like tail The
most curious thing about this particular fellow
was the half-dozen little pilotish which chung
by means OF suckers to the monsters back All
sawfsh accompanied on their foraging ex-
petitions by pilots, which swim before the big
one on each side OF the snout or saw, and guide
their patron TO the schools OF mullet which swarm
in the waters Of the tropics The small pilot
fab lead their great companion 10 the shoals OF
mullet where he works vigorously with his ser
rated saw, charging among them and striking
hight and left which results In the killing dis
abling Of great numbers Of fish. The pilots.
Of course, have an axe to grind in thus shrewdly
remaining an ally TO the sawfsh: for. while they
arc safe from tho assaults OF sharks tarpon and
others. which would prey upon them had they
not o protector they not only secure a meal when
ever they want II from the many destroyed and
mutllated mulet crushed by the big one. bu, also
IL would seem that their huge comrade never
az any time has q desire to dine upon his diminu-
tive guidos
II may DO surmised that after steering their
champion 70 the spot they discreety remain
In the rear until the carnage Is complete, when
they hurry TO the front and participate in the
feast cruelty prepared. Cuban watermen
at in nil
and on each side OF the saw; but on reaching shoal
water, they attach themselves so firmly and SO
securely TO the mosaicike back OF the larger
hsh by means OF an oval sucker, that IL Is next
TO impossible 10 detach them except by severing
with q knife their tenacious grip The sucker
Of q pilotish resembles the sole OF an old rubber
shoe, and Il Is remarkable what power Of adho-
don this curious continuance Of nature Is cap
able Of.
Between Cabo Masi on the west and Hayti
on the cast flows the Windward Passage, con.
Meeting the waters Of the Caribbean Sea with those
OF tho North Atlantic This narrow passage
way, damned in between the two capes, is the
great highway for migratory fishes passing north
and south or vice versa. and here, in season
come the larger predatory fishes in search OF
plumber and prey. Strange sights are often
Witnessed IN the Windward Passage and some
Times when two iumbos OF the deep chance 10
moot while separately foraglng, odd combats
occur Early in the present year the lighthouse.
keeper at Cabo Maisi observed tremendous
commotion about a mile seaward, accompanied
by numerous spoutings AMI tail thrashngs, which
Indicated that whale engaged in
combat with some other deniZen of the deep. II
CHANGED that the drift OF hostIties brought both
combatants nearer and nearer to the shore, until
1t was possible to determine by means of a glass
the individuality of tine mighty rivals The
sea was calm and the principals in the encounter
were too nIcl engaged in tlrr own affairs to
notice tho Intrusion of outsiders; accordingly,
the light keeper and his assistant who had ap-
preached quite near in a llleboat. were able to
distinguish the smooth. oily body OF a sperm
whale and the checker board hide OF huge saw
fish engaged IN deadly conflict
The fight long and severe. Tho saw
fish would viciously thrust its armed beak into
the soft blubber covered body Of the cetacean,
whilo the tortured whale whlrug in all directions,
made frantic attempts to strike his agile opponent
with his tail, any blow Of which would have hope
lessly crushed the sawfish and put an end to
the fight The latter was evidently getting the
better Of it, when both combntants were stranded
tho bar and Law thee heplessly splashing
about. In vain attempts to get back into deep
water. The men in the boat now approached
neAG enough TO deliver several shots in vital parts
and the fast recedIng tide soon lett the two great
fishes high and dry, An examination showed
tho sawhsh to be practically unframed except
by the bullets Of the light keepers, while ON the
other hand, the whale carcass was badly mu-