The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-06-24

Capture Big Hihimanu Measuring over
Nine Feet Across the Rays-An Ex-
citing Tussle.

An exciting time was had the other
day by two members of the Hawaii
Yacht club who succeeded i'm har-
pooning and finally landing a large hi
himanu, a fiat fish of the ray species,
ovoViviparous. with its peCtOral fins
extended to a point until they form
wing-like objects, called in Floridan
waters the devil fish
G. 5. Dole and Albert Warehouse
We're out in the small yacht belonging
to the latter, which is curiously
enough, called the Hihimanu, and. run
ming outside Pearl Harbor entrance
noticed a school of some half dozen
hihimanu Tapping on the top of the
water, their big fins coming above the
surface every now and again, as they
sported in the warm water of the chan
mel. The Hihimanu ran down among
the school which took but little notice
of them except to lazily dive, one of
them humping the centerboard as it
went underneath.
All hands conCurring, the jib was
slowed and the boat was run up again
into the school which made no effort
to abandon their amusement. Twice
| the harpOOn was thrown only to re-
| bound from a hihimanu's side the fish
having been to far below the surface
Realizing that the struggle would be
lively if one was secured, the skipper
bent the harpoon line to the anchor
huoying that again with long line.
All was coiled to run out easily and an
other chance awaited.
Presently the big, sluggish body of a
monster ray came up from a dive close
to the yacht. As it neared the surface
it saw the boat with the figure poised
| in the bow and recognizing an enemy
I C 81 AZ 10, III
time the harpoon was more success
fully aimed and buried half it's length
in the lower side of the ray
The yacht was then running in UNI
der southerly breeze and a battle
royal began between the harpOoned
and the harpOOners. Tales have been
often circulated of the Florida devil
fish towing small boats to sea at a ter
rife pace, and with the powerful bat
like fins the ray has an undoubtedly
enormous resisting, and probably
| equally as large towing power The
| Hthimanu has a large spread of main
sail, however, and the fish was handi-
capped with being harpooned on the
under side, A strong breeze was blow
| ing, but for some time it was nip and
tuck as to whether the ray or the boat
would get the best of the novel tug
| Of-War. The fish would swim along
| with the boat for a while and then put
| out all his strength in resisting It's
/ effort was so far successful as to pre-
vent skipper Waterhouse from jibing
into channel and forcing him to run the
prize into the shallow waters by the
/ old Dowsett buildings where the Dill
| bingham boys took a hand and hauled
! the selachian up on the beach.
AS with the Florida devil fish the
| appearance of the animal is more ter
rifyjng than it's reality. 1t could prove
a nasty customer from it's bulk if it
| chose to attack, but its great fIabby
mouth, large enough to admit the head
and shoulders of a man is toothless.
On either side of the gaping Oritice are
! two leathery barbels like a pair of eX-
ira fms apparently used as hands for
scooping the food into the capacious
mouth. Measurement showed the ray
TO be nine feet two inches across the
rays or wings and over eight feet in
length from nose to the end of its thin
Whlp-like tail, When first harpooned
the selachian leaped clear of the water
and looked larger than the boat at It
came between the crew and the sun
dripping with water and blood and its
great wings tapping like some antedi-
luvian bird-tish of the deep
Skipper Waterhouse improvfsed q
bride for the great, soft mouth. and
auxiliary hippers, and started for home
with the hihimanu after the latter had
been on the beach for half an houl
trying to gulp down air. With the
natter 1t came along easily until the
wind began to fail when the La Pa
Iona took hand. Arrived at the Wa
terhouse residence in the lochs, the
monster was turned over to the SER
wants and in half an hour every jap
anese in the vicinity had gathered for
a portion of the flesh. One old Japan
csc who has had much experience in
hshlng stated that the capture was at
least twenty-five years old.
The rays generally are ovoviviparous,
bringing forth eggs that are Matched
in the body the young being produced
alive. The young are accustomed upon
sign of danger to seek refuge in the
parents interior as with shovel nosed
sharks and other selachians.