The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-09-09
FISH OFTEN EPICUREAN.


Many fishes that swim the sea are as
particular in their diet as any gour-
met who safes his appetite at n OF
the swell restaurants in Chicago's down
town district. The Goldfish is unseuti-
mental and actually ridiculous. He is
a great, gray, ugly fish and his name
itself is absurd. II there were such
n thing as submarine humor he would
figure in it as the goat does in IA own
comics. The codssh 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 as scissors, suspended buc-
kles, ~horseshoes, potato parers, oil cans,
doorknobs, marlin spikes, corncobs and
India rubber shoes.
Another startling story told by fish
ermen is that in heavy weather Goldfish
eat stones to ballast them, but it is
nore likely that these rocks are taken
in while attached to sea aneniones, OF
which the Goldfish are very fond. II
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 a Gods stomach and the finder
got $3.50 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
in 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
Unsuitable. They will fill their mouths
with food and still try TO get more.
II people knew more about the fish
they eat it is possible that a slice of
"baked blue" might fill many a man
with shuddering horror, for the blue
fish is perhaps the most terrible and
blooGthristy thing in all nature. The
tiger has a sweet and cheerful dispo-
sition compared to the blueiish, the
shark seems a phlegmatic and amiable
creature, and the wolf, by comparison.
is positively mild. The bluefsn make
lnenhaden their special prey. When d
school of these fish perceive bluefsh
near they swim away with such ter.
rife haste that the ocean foams under
them, but the bluefisn cannot be dis.
tanced. They rush among the helpless
menhaden, biting, tearing, thrashing
and even throwing them into the air.
They do not stop Il swallow their
prey, but kill purely for the love OF
slaughter. The sea is Redeemed with
blood and dotted with dead fish, but the
bluefsh kill on until exhaustion stops
them or until the menhaden get into
such shallow water that the bluefsh DC
not care to follow. Sometimes thes,
helpless fish are 50 blind with terror
that they swim ashore and are pilet
up In windrows II foot deep.
The blueiish do not eat one-tentb OF
the fish they kill, although when sur.
feited they are believed by some people
to disgorge their food in order to tax,
In another meal. 1t Is estimated tina
during a fair season 1000, 900 bluefsl
are caught between New Jersey anc
Monomony and that about 500, OOO, OOI
remain uncaught. Thirty or forty FISH
are sometimes found in the stomach o.
one bluetsh, but, placing a bluefsh'i
kill at only ten per day, IL will be seer
that during their four months yearl,
stay on the New England coast they de
stroy about 1900, OOO, OOO, 900, 900 fish
and that is excluding the vast NUMBER
Of minute fish eaten by little bluehsh
which are not included in the estimate
Carried into avoirdupois, il is calculated
that $500, 10000 pounds Of fish ar,
eaten daily by bluefish. Nevertheless
they are very handsome aud graceful
fish. Very little is known Of their 9th
er habits, but they are so nervous Will,
In captivity that they develop corns oil
their noses by trying to push the lat
ter through the glass sides Of thei.
tanks Chicago Chronicle.