El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-16

life which abounds in this unexp1ored
region
The most extraordinary of all the fish
to be found there is the antennarius.
1t cements little balls of weed together,
in which it deposits its eggs
This fish is yellow. brown and white,
with a body thick in proportion to it's
length 1t is four or five inches long,
the head and mouth being enormous
for it's size. When agitated 1t becomes
inflated until 1t resembles a tight ball.
Its eyes are a brilliant green
Specimens of this fish occasionally
drift into the harbor of Beaufort N c.,
and on being picked up by boys along
the beach are taken to the laboratory
of the United States bureau of fisher
les there. In this way some knowledge
of the habits and life Of the species
has been obtained Two specimens
which were watched closely. fought
constantly until one killed the other
: The only insects living on the surface
Of the Sargasso sea travel so rapidly
that it IS extremely difficult to catch
them. Flying fish are plentiful, but
there are no marine birds in the vicin-
ity.
At night the entire scene assumes a
brilliant aspect. Then the phosphores-
cent weed gives off a silver glow a
short distance beneath the surface,
causing even the IfSn 10 appear out
lined with light 1t is said that a
branch Of the seaweed when placed in a
small, dark cabin, will give sufficient
light to distinguish various objects
Seaweed Growth.
NaturaHsts claim that seaweed is the
most extensive Of all vegetable growths
on land or sea A full grown plant is
about the size Of cabbage, and is about
a foot in length. It is found as far
GnT1fh
fringes every island OF the Antilles.
every shore of the Caribbean. and is
found as far north as Cape Cod
1t has been estimated that 1t takes
five and half months for the de-
tached weed to drift TO the eastern part
OF the Sargasso sea- There Is a limit
TO its separate existence. When It is
subjected to change OF temperature or
difference Of locality caused by con-
tinued wind or current, large quantities
become decayed and sink to the bottom.
In few instances branches are known
10 have drifted to the shores of the
British Isles and western Europe, but
when found were always in an imper-
feet condition.
The source Of supply from the gulf OF
Mexico is so great that the quantities
that are lost are not noticeable
Boats Crew Disappears.
The popular belief that the Sargasso
sea is giant whirlpool, drawing ven
turesome and abandoned ships into its
vortex, has given rise to many remark
able stories One Of its victims was
supposed to have been the Marie Ce-
leste," which left New York In 1887
for Europe with IS people on board.
including the captains wife and child.
Two weeks after setting out a British
Dark sighted her In the Atlantic ocean
with no sign OF life on board. A boat
was sent and a thorough search made,
which revealed absolutely nothing that
would give a clue TO the cause of the
desertion Of the ship. Everything was
in its place. even the boats at the cav
its The hull was INDIANA ed, cargo in
tact, and the rigging and spar were IN
perfect condition. The sails were all
set, and the weekly wash OF the crew
hung above the forecast
In the cabin there was a sewing ma
chine, with child's garment under the
needle, and on the table there was a
half finished meal The log book was
posted TO within IS hours of the visit.
and from the condition Of the ship IL
was proved that no storm had been
encountered Although the United
States government spared nothing in
its effort TO unravel the mystery. no
trace of any member of the ships COM
pany was found.
TomOrrow-Labor Troubles in Pana-
ma