Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-04-13
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES.

growth of young oysters is phenomenal.
The strike from August 18th. grew in
one season large enough to shuck.
Those in 'Nansemond Ridge cut six
pints to the bushel. This is getting on
In the world pretty fast. Virginia is
still great State for the culture of
the oyster, but the oyster may well
say, "Save me from my friends. The
Oysterman.
A matter of deep interest to COM
mercial fishermen is recent decision
of the u. S. War Department. Secre-
tary Taft gave a decision March Oath
which ends controversy that has been
going on for years between the pound
fishermen on the Great South Bay,
Long Island, and the hook-and-line fish,
ermen, the latter being mostly wealthy
summer residents living in the vicinity.
1t has been alleged that the long stakes
planted by the pound fishermen. were
an obstruction to navigation. The
matter was brought to an issue last
summer before Colonel Livermore. of
the United States Engineer Corps.
Subsequently the controversy was car
ried to the War Department at Wash
ington. Secretary Taft decides that no
more pounds shall be placed in the main
channel near Fire Island, nor in Dick
erson's Channel. The Secretary fur
ther decides that no new pounds shall
be placed by the fishermen without the
consent of the War Department. Such
controversy has not as yet reached
the Chesapeake, and how far our fish
ermen's interests here will be affected
by this decision, it is hard to say.
THE FUNNY PUFrER.
The funniest little fellow in salt
water is the puffer, or swellfish or, as
called in the Chesapeake, swell-toad
and sugar-toad. When he is swimming
around at ease with nothing to alarm
him he looks queer enough, for the skin
of his abdomen is all loose and wrinkled,
and he has such funny tail and such
ridiculous little fins and such a big,
three cornered head that he looks en-
tirely absurd. His mouth, instead of
being big and gaping, as most fish
mouths are, is only tiny round hole
at the end of pointed, conical snout.
Out of this circular mouth protrude his
teeth, like those of rabbit. He would
be about as homely a fish as could be
made if it We're not for the beautiful
orange and yellow and silver colorings
that play all over him. But queer as
he looks when he is at ease, it is only
when he is frightened or excited that
he becomes really funny. If he is
hooked, for instance, he comes to the
surface grinding those protruding teeth
so that the sound can be heard good
many feet away, and then as soon as
the hand touches him he begins to
grunt hoarsely, and with each grunt he
swells bit till within few moments
he has puffed himself so full of air
that ne is quite round and firm, like a
ball, showing hardly where head and
eyes are. So thoroughly does he dis
tend himself with air that when the
fishermen hurl him at the water with
all their force, as they often do, he will
bounce like rubber ball. If he is
dropped into the water after blowing
himself full of air he floats on it as
lightly as thistledown, and he will stay
that way until he has assured himself
that danger has gone by. He does the
same when he is pursued by other fish,
and as he floats almost entirely out of
water, with only a little bit of his hard,
spiny body sunk under the surface,
very few fish can hurt him once he is
inflated.