The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-22
The Bay Adam What-Is-It.

In Bay ADAM an inlet Of the Gulf on
the lower coast Of Louisiana, they think
they have caught the real original mon
ster Octopus and Head Devil Fish. The
Hon. WILLIAM A. WENCK and a party
were fishing from an electric launch the
other day. Mr.. HOWE Of st. Louis, a
guest of Mr.. WENCK, had his line rugged
for tarpon. There came from the deep a
pull on that line IA il leviathan and be-
hemoth were having tug-of-war. Mr..
WENCK sprang to Mr.. HowE's relief.
After a fierce struggle they pumped
upon the deck Something, like Cerberus,
three gentlemen at once. From the
still too imperfect accounts given by
the New Orleans ichthyologists we COM
pile an inventory Of this bathybian
busters charms:
-Body: Black bat IKE. Wings: Black. batty
a. e.. we suppose. bughouse.' 'Iut,y. dotty.
'wissy '. Also showing fain, polka dots of blue
lsh hue l. e.. polka douy. Head: Turtle like
Lower lip: Protruded In pronounced pout, /. e.
horn 1,u.. Tall; Strngarcc IKE. save that the
sting was as long and sharp as . Sicinan dagger.
splped to this sting or dagger. as liver and bacon
are spltted with a stick. II Is presumed that the
monster was Keeping them there until he becan e
hungry enough to eat them. for he really did not
bite the line bu, was hooked By accident In the
top Of the head"
The tongue was three inches long,
as hard as flint and fitted against SINH
lar hard substance in the upper part Of
the mouth Thus this Turtlebat
ground fish or oysters into fine frag-
ments.' BY the commotion Of the mo-
ton Of the compress Of the upper jaw
and tongue, he scares the little fish until
they can't move and become his easy
prey. At least, such is the theory Of some
scientists. The weight Of this maxillary
motor is 100 pounds.
The Ner Orleans Times Democrat SAYS
that the mysterious entity which we have
80 far called the Turtlebat ID not Devil
Fish, but likely the hortigdbulus sps-
menti mentioned by ARISTOTLE The
hortigabuIus spumsnti is not mentioned
by ARISTOTLE, bat by PLINY, who de-
scribes him as a native of White Plains
Camp AlbD and living entirely upon
spiritus frumenh. Nor is there any
truth in the suggestion that the Bay
Adam specimen is the goggle-eysd
flipfapper described by Sir JOHN MAN.
DEvILLE, which is found only on the outer
edge of the Antarctic Ocean, and feeds on
horsechestnuts and prepared chalk. >
The goggle-eyed flipfapper is still CON-
mon. 1t feeds on chestnuts and lives
in political platforms; and it's habitat
ranges from Wolferts Roost and Long
Island to the Pacific. The Bay Adamite
has superficial anatomical resemblance
to the Gobbleorum, the Jumping JONAH
fish, the Hot Scotch Skipperkipper, the
Grillcumkidney Of Southsea and the Safe
tyrazorback of Siasconsett but its long
and sharp sting, it's fiint-like hardness,
the terror it causes among little fish,
the variety and combination OF it's
structure; its sinister blackness and
ominous bat-likeness; more and most
Of all, its habit Of impaling or splitting
little fish show it TO be the terrible old
Monopotio Multiformis, described in many
reports of Fishing Commissions. That
tongue and upper jaw should be sent to
Washington at once. Prof. LITTLEFIELD
and a hundred other experts will want
to make reports on this dreadful COM
pound from Bay Adam Inlet.