New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-17
SOME STRANGE FISHES,
Many Come to Fulton Market and
More Can Be Seen at aquarium.


variety Of fishes which and leave Fulton Mar
kat in the course OF year. It is the great FISH
clearing house Of the country. and is apt in day
TO receive shipments from the Gulf Of Mexico. this
Pacific Coast. the Great Lakes the Mississippi
River and its tributaries. the South Atlantic the
Middle Atlantic and the New England States. Many
shipments are also received from Newfoundland.
Canada and Alaska. while occasional lots come in
from che West Indies and Bermuda Some have BIZ
zarre shapes especially those from tropical waters.
while others are most gorgeous in coioring. At the
market. however, they are not to the best adj
vantage. all fish undergo change in being
moved from their native element and lose the beau
ttful radiance with which they shine in the water.
while their brilliant colors fade away in the sun
light soon after death overtakes them. At the
Aquarium. near by in Battery Park. however they
are to be seen alive in all their pristine loneliness
and as every effort is made to 1T Up their
homes to match their natural habitat a good idea
Of how they look at home can be obtained
Among the Southern fishes more curious
than the porcupine fish. generally known among
the fishermen OF Key West the hedgehog. II Is
encazed in bony armor made of trian guIar plates
and some Of the spines with which It is thickly
studded are an inch in length The most peculiar
feature or the FISH Is its ability to swell itself INTO
ball with either air or water In color II IS
brown on top and light underneath and when IN
hated for defence looks like great chestnut burr.
The sawhshes are abundant in Florida. This fish
acquired its name from its long. thin. fat snout.
armed with series OF strong toothlke processes
P4dCSU III SOcheJS along eslch edSe Ihey
attain length OF twenty feet. and are dreaded by
the fishermen owing to the damage they do to their
nets A curious observation made has been with
regard TO this fish On opening a large female
number Of young were found. and on placing them
In the water they swan away as lively as young
could be
One OF the most bizarre OF the fishes on the At
lantic Coast is the fishing frog. sometimes called
also monkhsh, goosehsh. alI-mouth. beIlowsnsh
toadnsh. sea toad. carpet bag devflhsh. sea devil
he s,,rf
fly vary considerably both in shape and color but
all are exceedingly poor swimmers. Those found
near our coast lie the bottom Of the sea holding
on with their armlike pectoraI fins to seaweeds or
stones which they resemble closely in color that
1t is almost impossible distinguish the fish from
its surroundings As the animal has numerous
frtnges OF Enthusiastically ragged skin which resern-
bic the brown seaweed growing in tiny patches on
rocks and tmbers everywhere in salt water its re-
senblancs is heightened when these pendent finsss
move TO and fro with the current. When the FISH
desires to dine IL buries its body far as possible
sets all It's frtnges TO going and then opens its vast
mouth. This. too. IS colored and lined that Il
looks just Ike innocent. pleasant. dark cleft IN
a submarine rock. When its trap Is thus set tho
fish begins to angle which il does by eevating the
long. slender fin ray that until then had been lying
fat along its back. The I'm is Dubious and covered
with slender feshy fIaments. These hang over in
front OF the fishing frogs open mouth. and thew
simulate tempting live bait closely that before
long little fish ara attracted by them and when
they swim around them down goes the trap and the
fish are caught. Most Of the fishing frogs are
small although a few attain a weight of about
forty pounds
The sting ray. or stingaree. Is similar in ap-
pearance TO the skate. except that it's body IS
broader IN proportion TO length and is blackish
in color. instead OF light brown This creature Is
far from harmless to man. IT is armed with
weapon much dreaded b. the fishermen On tbs
ridge OF the tail IS movable spine or thorn many
inches long. pointed like a stiletto and set with
hundreds Of barbs. When angered the creature
strikes with this weapon more quickly than the eye
While there Is no real venom in this
spine II IS generally coated with slime and this IS
left in the wound after the weapon Is Withdrawn.
blood poisoning sometimes resulting which is fire.
quentIy fatal As result 10 these fishes is given
a wide berth by judicious fishermen
\ beautiful denizen Of these waters Is the sea
robin. the bird OF the submarine world Of this coast
OF these there two varieties. the crimson and
the brown. Their only difference is IN color and
size the crimson fish being larger. Their striking
characteristics are their pectoral fms. which
beautifully veined things. exceedingly Ike butter
flies wings and colored with dozen delicate tints
Their motion in the water is similar to that OF
soaring bird Just under the pectoraI fms. wners
the head joins the body. these fish have queer red
dish-yelIow appendages which they like fingers.
Often. when their wings folded. they crawl
along the bottom by means OF these looking then
for all the world like big bright beetles. With
all this beauty and apparent heIpIessness there Is
grave danger the tncaUtiOus observer Its dorsal
I'm is arranged Ike a saw. This it keeps closed
fat down it's back until one reaches hand cut
10 seize IT, when the sharp spines spring upward
and rip through skin and flesh down 70 the bone.
making a wound which ofen refuses TO yield to
treatment for months after being inflicted an
other unexpected thing about them is that they are
not mute. as are most fish. but utter loud ard
heavy musical croak exactly like that OF the green
frog.
a beautiful and peculiar. but not common. den
izen Of the Gulf Stream OF coast is the tris-
ger fish. This creature. which is shaped like an
exaggerated pumpkin seed, is Of olive color. It's
mouth is green. with narrow blue border Just De
hind il. Immediately above the sevetal
narrow blue lines. bordered with yellow. All the ns
are also marked with blue lines The real peculiar
ity OF fish consists. however in the dorsaI fin.
which cocks just like the hammer Of a gun. Tough
II and II jumps up down to half cock.
Touch II again and it snaps into full cock. Eating
the flesh OF this FISH is attended with danger sOc
poisoning The poisonous flesh seems TO act prt-
marily the nervous tissue the stomach. occa-
siOning violent spasms OF that organ and shortly
afterward Of all the muscles of the body. Inc
body becomes racked with spasms. the tongue thick
ems. the eye becomes fixed the breathing Iaborlous
and the patient expires in a paroxysn OF extreme
suffering.
OLD CHEROKEE CUSTOMS.
The last chief OF the Cherokees has been elected