The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-05-20

valuable fish has long been source OF
revenue and food to the inhabitants OF
southern Europe, but altholeh found
commonly on the American side OF the
Atlantic, it has never been fshed for
food except recently, and in the West
Indies. It is a powerful, rapid swim
ming and "gamey" fish and on the CAL
iifornia coast is extensively sought by
sportsmen, who fish for it with fly rods.
It reaches a maximum length of about
fifteen feet and weight Of nearly a
ton.
Almost as large as the tunnies are
the Jew fishes, which are related to the
sea bass and which are commonly call
ed s'bass" or 'sea bass" by the Cali
fornia fishermen. These fish occur
throughout tropical American seas and
grow to weight of 500 to 600 pounds.
Although very large and powerful
fish and capable of swapping stout
hemp rope or breaking the stoutest
shark hook, yet these fish are caught,
played and landed by fishermen in
California by the aid of slender rod
of split bamboo and tiny threadlike
line.
A fish of a very different character
and so striking in form that it will in
variably attract attention is the giant
sunfsh or moonfsh. It's shape is al
most circular, and this, with its odd
fms and lack of tail, gives it most Gu
rious appearance. It's name of sunflsh
is derived from it's habit of spending
many hours basking in the sun on the
oceans surface. It's eyes are large, its
mouth small, and taken altogether it is
among the most grotesque of marine
creatures, being apparently all head.
1t is found practically all over the
world, but is particularly common on
the southeastern coast of the United
States and in California waters. 1t is
frequently carried forth in the Gulf
Stream, and thus often taken off the
! New England coasts.
The sunfish is perfectly harmless and
is so sluggish, stupid and so easily
seen that it is readily approached and
harpooned. This fish often attalns
weight of from 200 to 500 pounds.
Almost as strange in appearance as
the sunfish are the great devil fish,
"vampire fishes" or ''bat fshes,' OF our
southern coasts and the neighborlng
| tropical sease. These grotesque crea-
lures grow to colossal size, frequently
being from 20 to 80 feet across their
huge wings" and four feet in thick
ness. Such a giant would weigh fully
six tons, and yet so agile and powerful
are the great creatures that they leap
Is to 20 feet out of water, looking While
in the air like enormous bats.
Their ''horns" are really extensions
of the fins and are used like hands for
holding food and other objects and in
bringing it to the mouth, which, is on
the under side and has no teeth in the
upper Jaw. The lower jaw has about
100 rows of small cobble-stone like
teeth. The fish is jet black above and
livid white below, and despite its great
size is a perfectly harmless creature
except when wounded.
These devil fishes should not by any
means be confused with the true devil
fshes,' or giant squids and octopus.
These creatures are molluscs, and
while living mainly in the utternost
depths of the sea, they are now and
then found cast upon beaches, float
ing injured or dead upon the surface
of the sea or are found in pieces part
" devoured in the stomachs of sperm
whales.
The giant squids of the North Allan
tic are enormous animals with a CYL
indical body five or six feet in diam
eter and fifteen or twenty feet IL
length and weighing many tons. The
long arms or tentacies may NC twenty
five or thirty feet in length, while the
great, staring eyes are foot or more
in diameter.