The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-03-06

| There is an Interesting history in
the life of the minutest living crea-
ture.
On the fourth great day of crea-
ton, one Of those remarkable days
on which God called into existence
heaven and earth, He made the birds
of the air, and also the beautiful
fishes of the sea in great variety.
Now. of the many creatures of the
vast watery world, there are divi-
sions and subdivisions; there seems
an insurmountable barrier by which
all are kept within bounds, and all
classes, orders, families, genera, and
species.
! OF the creatures of the sea, there
are mammals, as the whale, of sew
eral species, which vary in size from
the great greenland whale and fin
back, which has been known to at
tain a length OF one hundred feet,
and make a speed of mile in sixty
seconds, to the porpoise AMI dolphin,
which is the smallest known species.
They all furnish oil. The baleen
whale furnishes the whalebone of
commerce; one single grown whale
has been known to furnish twenty
tons of pure oil. These marine crea-
lures are known as the cetacea,
which includes all whales from the
gigantic fin-back to the dolphin.
| There is a curious substance known
to commerce, and of the constance
of wax, known as ambergris, gene
rated in the intestines of the sperm
whale, from some abnormal condi-
| ton, varying in color, white, black,
yellow, and varigated as marble, and
found floating in masses from sixty
to two hundred pounds, on some OF
| the tropical seas. 1t is of value in
the manufacture of some perfumery.
| There are some. rare and very
beautiful fishes, and from time to
time some new ones appear. as if the
vast waters held indistructable germs
and as conditions arise they come
forth. OF the shell fishes, there are
many divisions, and their beautiful
shells strewn along the ocean shores
arouse our admiration, and tell us
of these wonderful creatures.
Of the many food fishes, some are
migratory, as the salmon and her.
ring, of, which there are several spe-
cies. There are also the shad and
sturgeon. The beluga sturgeon of
Northern Europe will attain weight
of fourteen hundred pounds. This is
valuable food fish, and furnishes
the caviare, which is prepared from
the roe, and isinglass, from the air
bladder. The herring comes in vast
shoals to spawn, and have been
known to assend the falls of great
rivers. as Niagara, to reach the
spawning grounds, and the salmon
has been known to make leaps of
many feet to clear distractions in its
course.
Of the seal family, there are sew
eral species, the true fur seal, the
sea lion, sea elephant, sea leopard,
and the hooded seal. These consume
as food vast numbers of fish.
Now, in reference to the stories of
the fabulous sea serpent, there is no
foundation These wonderful tales
of the ocean were aroused by the
floating spars, wrapped by Haunting
seaweed. They have no doubt oc-
casioned much comment, and thus
brought about these serpent stories
of the watery world, which holds its
secrets and untold treasures.
The only marine animal which will
modest man is the shark, of certain
species, when pressed by hunger.
Some of the remarkable creatures of
the waters have become extinct, and
like many of the land, have left only
their fossils, which tell us that these
wonderful beings once were.
B. M. KEENE.