Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-03
QUEER SINGING SHELLS
IN SOUTHERN WATERS

A NY one who is AT all An observer or
- listener cannot fail to have heard tie
peculiar clicking sound on the water III
southern California The writer first
heard II after long afternoon OF fishing.
when lying in the bottom of the boat
below the water line II came lis. 4
shock or like the snap OF an electric
shock continually repeated loud enough
10 be heard several feet distant and when
the ear was pressed near the hull il he
came very distinct
The fishermen said the sound was made
by fish. Yet looking overheard into the
clear water nothing could he seen though
the sharp, resonant click came contnu-
ously all along the water lire. The clos
est examination failed TO reveal an ami
NAL clinging to the boat, and the sound
was undoubtedly due TO some delicate
crustacean, with which the waters are
filled.
The man who goes down to the sea in
ships hears many singular noises difficult
10 explain or understand. most or which
are made by ANNA as rule not SaS-
pected. 1t is not generally believed tnat
shells have the faculty OF making audi
bic sounds, but such is the fact. and
some of the smallest mollusks have sue
ceeded in creating widespread specula-
tion-indced. alarm-among superstitiou~
fishermen.
When Sir Emerson Tennent first visited
Ceylon lie learned that there was no III
tie excitement among the fishermen and
people living along shore over the fact
that musical sounds had been heard rs-
ing from the sea. lie considered il "A fish
story, but so persistent We're those who
had heard the sounds that he determined
to investigate, and for that purpose went
out with fisherman who had listened to
the sounds not one but many times. The
man said they We're not made by fish,
but shell. and this was found To lac tie
case-a small shell known in the Tau,ll
language as the .'oorle cooleeroo craduo
singing shell, the curious name being
a manifest attempt to initiate the sound
made by the shell. Sir Emerson Tennent
sat in his boat for some time listening
carefully, and was finally repaid by hear
ing the so-caled music. which came from
up the water. he says. like the gentle
thrills of a musical chord the faint vi
bration of a vineSiass when its rim =
rubbed by moistened finger"
This distinguished naturalist made
careful study of the sounds on many oc
casions and found that il was not a sus
tanned note. but made up OF multitude
of tiny ones. each clear and distinct IN
itself and ranging from high treble
down TO bass. When the ear was APP
piled TO the gunwale of the boat the
sound grew more intense. and in som.
places as the boat moved on il could not
he heard at all. showing that the shells
were collected in groups The scientific
name of this music maker is ''Littorint
loeris, while another form equally mu-
steal is Cerithium polastre'
Among the natives i'm Bombay some
years ago there was persistent rumor
10 the effect that cries and music had
been heard rising from the bay. Finally
"A party of English officers was passing
from the promontory of Salsette to
beach near Sewee. when its members
were maZed to hear the sounds, which
in this instance Were so bad and loud IS
TO demoralZe the native rowers. who gave
themselves up for lost, The sounds re-
sembled the toling OF bells, the booming
of supposed. guns, tile notes OF an aeoilan
harp, while others described the sound as
a long -drawn-out musical note of great
sweetness. This also ascribed to Ger
tain shells common in these waters.
A negro fisherman at PaSca gonia creek
Miss. astonished his patrons one day by
the statement that he was going To give
up fishing as the water was haunted
Something. he said. kept singing to him
Every one supposed the man to be crazy
or on the borderland. but finally "A white
man went fishing on his grounds and
heard a singular mutfied musical sound
rising from the water all about which
proved to come from a shell common To
the locality.
The natural conclusion is that if shells
utter sounds they have some meaning and
are consequently language, but il would
be difficult to prove this.