The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-18
ABOUT THE DRUMFISH.
Its Interesting OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Big
Ones at the Aquarium.

OneS at INC AQuhTiuin'
In the great central pool at the New York
Aquarium there are seven drumfsh, each
about four feet long and weighing from
Fifty to sixty pounds; big drumfish, but
not the biggest ever heard Of, for the
drum grows to weigh as much as eighty
pounds. This lot came from the bay back
Of Sandy Hook.
In the pool here the seven big drlmfish
are always on the move, they always keep
together, and they are often seen moving
in some sort Of regular formation.
They may be strung along overlapping
or closed up in echelon. or they may be
moving four abreast with three behind, or
they may be In two ranks Of three each,
with the seventh fish out In front as O.
leader, like the commander Of Company.
In nature there are few II any fishes that
swim In schools with q formation so regu-
lar as that preserved by the drumfsh.
Most fishes simply herd together, though
there are exceptions. Sharks in school,
for instance, are likely to swim with in
tervaIs OF a few feet between the fishes
But school OF druInfish will form in body
preserving regularity Of outline; perhaps
with a wedge shaped front, In outline like
that of fyi ng flock OF geese, but with the
drumfish pa cked in behind it, or perhaps
In q mass with square front, Like bat
talon Of soldiers in close column by COM
pany.
Commonly the school Of drumfsh has a
single drumfsh for a leader out in front
three or four fish lengths ahead and when
the leader turns the battalion follows. When
a school of drumfsh is on feeding ground
in the shallow water the fishes scatter;
but let the school be alarmed and the fishes
will assemble in mass in tiers three OF
four fishes deep and 80 start away, this
practically solid mass Of fishes making a
wave foot or two high on either sides
as it moves out to sea.
The drumfsh gets its name from apecul-
lar sound that it makes that is some
what like the muffled roll OF drum. This
sound can be plainly heard by the occupant
of boat under which, foot or two below,
a drumfish might swim and il a big fish
were thrown into boat its drumming
in the open air could be heard at distance
of twenty or thirty yards.
Small drumfsh, up to, say. about foot
and they are sometimes sold as sheepshead.
When young the drumfish is banded some
what like the sheepshead; but as it grows
older it becomes Of a dull, dark, uniform
color and is far less slightly in appearance.
The flesh of the big drumhsh Is coarse and
rank
A drum OF the size Of those at the Aquar-
ium has scales as big as silver half dollar,
and tough and hard and close clinging.
In scaling a big drumfish an axe is likely
OF once seeing man scaling big drum
with an adze; and an adze would perhaps
be the most convenient implement for
| the purpose.
Farmers living along shore cut up big
Sometimes a big school Of drumfsh
will strike the leader of pound net and
follow it in and completely fill the net
with a catch that is valueless, and that
it takes time and labor to get rid OF,
The drumfish is a great enemy of the
| oyster. Let a school of drumfsh settle on
| an oyster bed and 1t will do great damage
A single big drumish will destroy bushel
OF oysters, perhaps two bushels, or more
ing them in its jaws and eating the mea
and rejecting the crushed shells. The
drumfish is the champion oyster eater.
When the presence Of a school Of drum
fsh in the neighborhood Of oyster grounds
with pots and pans, which they beat upon
to drive the drlmfish away, When a fisher
man, who may be also an .oysterman,
catches drumfsh, he always kills it before
th5owing It back into the water
south in the fall and coming north again
in the spring. The fishermen say when
the drums go that summer is gone for
good. and when the drums come back in
the, spring that they've seen the last of
cold weather.
alt might not seem that the drumfsh
was much of a subject for jokes. but there
are persons who will joke over anything.
Il suppose said visitor at the Aquar-
ium yesterday, to another man standing
near him. who, like himself, was looking
over at the big drumfish, Il suppose you
might almost call these big drums bass
drums"
That seemed to disturb the other man
n little, but he rallied in minute and turn
ing to the bass drum man. he said:
sDo you know why they all keep to-
gether like that, swimming around in
regular order2'
well, no, I DON'T said the bass drum
man.. why do the drums swim around
together 30, keeping In suoh regular orderf'
why, that, ] suppose, the other man
said, lis because they all belong to the
came drum corps.s