Natural History in Anecdote Part 31

The Flying fish is about the size of a herring, and is furnished with strong pectoral fins, almost the length of its body, by which it is able to spring out of the water and sustain itself for a time in the air. It has apparently no power of guiding itself, or of varying its alt.i.tude while in the lighter element, both the height and the course of its flight being determined by the direction and the force of its spring.

Its ordinary flight is about three feet above the surface of the water, and of no very great distance or duration, but it has been known to fly as high as fourteen or fifteen feet, and even higher, and a distance of over two hundred yards. Flying fish often fall upon the decks of ships, where they are welcomed as affording a pleasant variety to the sailors'

menu. They frequent warmer lat.i.tudes, but are sometimes seen off the English coast. They leave the sea to escape the larger fish which prey upon them, only too often to fall a prey to the fowls of the air.

The Eel.

The Eel from its general resemblance to the snake is not usually a favourite when alive, however popular it may be with the palate, when served up with suitable accessories at table. It is, however, full of interest as a study, and shows many remarkable characteristics and traits. It migrates from the river to the sea in the autumn to produce its young, thus reversing the order of procedure of the salmon. Mr.

Jesse, writing of these migrations as observed by him in the Thames many years ago, says, "An annual migration of young eels takes place in the river Thames in the month of May, and they have generally made their appearance at Kingston, in their way upwards, about the second week in that month. These young eels are about two inches in length, and they make their approach in one regular and undeviating column of about five inches in breadth, and as thick together as it is possible for them to be. As the procession generally lasts two or three days, and as they appear to move at the rate of nearly two miles and a half an hour, some idea may be formed of their enormous number. Sir Humphrey Davy says, in his "Salmonia,"--"There are two migrations of eels, one _from_ and the other _to_ the sea; the first in spring and summer, and the second in autumn, or early in winter. The first of very small eels, which are sometimes not more than two and a half inches long; the second of large eels, which sometimes are three or four feet long, and weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds. There is great reason to believe, that all eels found in fresh water are the results of the first migration; they appear in millions in April and May, and sometimes continue to rise as late as July, and the beginning of August. They feed, grow, and fatten in fresh water. In small rivers, they are seldom very large; but, in large deep lakes, they become as thick as a man's arm, or even leg; and all those of a considerable size attempt to return to the sea in October or November, probably when they experience the cold of the first autumnal rains." Mr. St. John thus describes some young Eels which he saw ascending the river Findhorn "When they came to a fall, which they could not possibly ascend, they wriggled out of the water, and gliding along the rock, close to the edge, where the stone was constantly wet from the splashing and spray of the fall, they made their way up till they got above the difficulty, and then again slipping into the water, continued their course." The eel is voracious, and will leave the water in search of frogs, and other food. It will attack, and appropriate, young ducks, and one is said to have been caught near Bootle with two rats in its stomach. The Conger Eel grows to a great size and attains great weight. It is said sometimes to measure eight or even ten feet, and to weigh a hundred pounds or even more. It is plentiful in the English Channel, and on the coast of Cornwall.

The Gymnotus.

The Gymnotus is the famous electric eel, and like the Torpedo of the English Channel and the Mediterranean, has the power of communicating a violent electric shock. It belongs to the Amazon and other South American rivers and their tributaries, and is well known to American Indians. Humbolt describes the shock produced by this creature, as exceeding in strength that of a large Leyden jar. Having imprudently placed his foot on one just taken from the water he received such a shock that, he says, "I was affected the rest of the day with violent pains in the knees, and in almost every joint."

Catching the Gymnotus.

The following vivid description of a Gymnotus hunt is given by Humbolt: "We at first wished to make our experiments in the house we inhabited at Calabozo; but the dread of the electrical shocks of the gymnoti is so exaggerated among the vulgar, that during three days we could not obtain one, thought they are easily caught, and though we had promised the Indians two piastres for every strong and vigorous fish.

"Impatient of waiting, and having obtained very uncertain results from an electrical eel that had been brought to us alive, but much enfeebled, we repaired to the Cano de Bera, to make our experiments in the open air, on the borders of the water itself. We set off on the 19th of March for the village of Rastro de Abaxo, thence we were conducted to a stream, which, in the time of drought, forms a basin of muddy water, surrounded by fine trees. To catch the gymnoti with nets is very difficult, on account of the extreme agility of the fish, which bury themselves in the mud like serpents. We would not employ the _barbasco_, that is to say, the roots of Piscidea erithryna and Jacquinia armillaris, which, when thrown into the pool, intoxicate or benumb these animals. These means would have enfeebled the gymnoti; the Indians therefore told us, that they would 'fish with horses.' We found it difficult to form an idea of this extraordinary manner of fishing; but we soon saw our guides return from the Savannah, which they had been scouring for wild horses and mules. They brought about thirty with them, which they forced to enter the pool.

"The extraordinary noise caused by the horses' hoofs makes the fish issue from the mud, and excites them to combat. These yellowish and livid eels resemble large aquatic serpents, swim on the surface of the water, and crowd under the bellies of the horses and mules. A contest between animals of so different an organization furnishes a very striking spectacle. The Indians, provided with harpoons and long slender reeds, surround the pool closely; and some climb upon the trees, the branches of which extend horizontally over the surface of the water. By their wild cries, and the length of their reeds, they prevent the horses from running away and reaching the bank of the pool. The eels, stunned by the noise, defend themselves by the repeated discharge of their electric batteries. During a long time they seem to prove victorious. Several horses sink beneath the violence of the invisible strokes which they receive from all sides, in organs the most essential to life; and stunned by the force and frequency of the shocks, disappear under the water. Others, panting, with their mane standing erect, and wild looks, expressing anguish, raise themselves and endeavour to flee from the storms by which they are overtaken. They are driven back by the Indians into the middle of the water; but a small number succeeds in eluding the active vigilance of the fishermen. These regain the sh.o.r.e, stumbling at every step, and stretch themselves on the sand, exhausted with fatigue, and their limbs benumbed by the electric shock of the gymnoti.

"In less than five minutes two horses were drowned. The eel, being five feet long, and pressing itself against the belly of the horses, makes a discharge along the whole extent of its electric organs. It attacks at once the heart, the intestines, and the _plexus caeliacus_ of the abdominal nerves. It is natural, that the effect felt by the horses should be more powerful than that produced upon men by the touch of the same fish at any one of his extremities. The horses are probably not killed, but only stunned. They are drowned from the impossibility of rising from amid the prolonged struggle between the other horses and the eels.

"We had little doubt, that the fishing would terminate by killing successively all the animals engaged; but by degrees the impetuosity of this unequal combat diminished, and the wearied gymnoti dispersed. They require a long rest, and abundant nourishment, to repair what they have lost of galvanic force. The mules and horses appear less frightened; their manes are no longer bristled, and their eyes express less dread.

The Indians a.s.sured us, that when the horses are made to run two days successively into the same pool, none are killed the second day. The gymnoti approach timidly the edge of the marsh, when they are taken by means of small harpoons fastened to long cords. When the cords are very dry, the Indians feel no shock in raising the fish into the air. In a few minutes we observed five eels, the greater part of which were but slightly wounded. Some were taken by the same means towards the evening.

"The temperature of the water in which the gymnoti habitually live is about 86 degrees of Fahrenheit. Their electric force, it is said, diminishes in colder waters. The gymnotus is the largest of electrical fishes. I measured some that were from four feet to five feet three inches long; and the Indians a.s.sert, that they have seen them still larger. We found that a fish of three feet ten inches long weighed twelve pounds. The transverse diameter of the body was three inches five lines. The gymnoti of _Cano de Bera_ are of a fine olive-green colour.

The under part of the head is yellow, mingled with red. Two rows of small yellow spots are placed symmetrically along the back, from the head to the end of the tail. Every spot contains an excretory aperture.

In consequence the skin of the animal is constantly covered with a mucous matter, which, as Volta has proved, conducts electricity twenty or thirty times better than pure water. It is somewhat remarkable, that no electrical fish yet discovered in the different parts of the world, is covered with scales.

"It would be rashness to expose ourselves to the first shocks of a very large and strongly irritated gymnotus. If by chance you receive a stroke before the fish is wounded, or wearied by a long pursuit, the pain and numbness are so violent, that it is impossible to describe the nature of the feeling they excite. I do not remember having ever received from the discharge of a large Leyden jar, a more dreadful shock than that which I experienced by imprudently placing both my feet on a gymnotus just taken out of the water."

The Torpedo.

It would be difficult to name two fish more dissimilar in outward appearance than the Gymnotus and the Torpedo, and yet they enjoy in common the unique power of communicating electric shocks. The Gymnotus is a long eel-like fish, the Torpedo is round and flat. The Torpedo belongs to the family of the Rays and sometimes reaches a large size. It is common in the Mediterranean and is sometimes found on the southern coasts of the British Isles.

"Although it has once or twice been caught on our coasts," says Mr.

Wood, "it is usually found in the Mediterranean, where its powers are well known, and held in some awe. The shock that the Torpedo gives, of course, varies according to the size of the fish and its state of health, but a tolerably large fish in good health can, for the time, disable a strong man. From the effects of its shock, it is in some parts called the Cramp-fish. It has been known to weigh from seventy to a hundred pounds.

The Shark.

The Shark, whose name instinctively suggests a shudder, is the largest of the fishes and one of the largest of marine animals. There are many varieties, and they are found in all seas; some measuring no more than a few feet, others attaining to very large proportions. The Blue Shark of the Mediterranean which measures about eleven feet sometimes approaches the south coast of England and Ireland, as does the Hammer-headed Shark of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean a shark of twelve feet in length.

The Tope, a smaller variety, is often seen in the English channel, as are also several others of the smaller Sharks. The Great Basking Shark which often measures thirty feet in the length is the largest of those which visit the English coast, but like the largest of all the sharks (_Rhinodon Typicus_), which sometimes exceeds fifty feet in length, is herbivorous, and therefore not bloodthirsty.

The White Shark.

The Shark known to sailors as the White Shark is a fierce and sanguinary creature. It frequents the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where it follows ships for days for the sake of the refuse, which is thrown overboard. This creature has been known to swallow a man entire, and commonly to devour one in two or three portions. Sailors get no mercy from the shark, and consequently show him none. There is a story told of a negro cook who seeing a shark follow in the wake of a ship made a brick hot in the stove, and then threw it to the monster who probably never had a warmer or more indigestible meal. This shark suffered great agony if its contortions may be taken as evidence, and, after exhausting itself with its fury, allowed itself to drift away with the tide. Expert swimmers, armed with long sharp knives have sometimes engaged the shark single-handed, diving underneath it, and stabbing it before it discovered their whereabouts. The Negroes of the West Indies are credited with this hardihood, and are said to be frequently successful.

Sharks in the South Seas.

"The amphibious South Sea Islanders," says Mr. Wood, "stand in great dread of the Shark, and with good reason, for not a year elapses without several victims falling to the rapacity of this terrific animal. Nearly thirty of the natives of the Society Islands were destroyed at one time by the sharks. A storm had so injured the canoe in which they were pa.s.sing from one island to another, that they were forced to take refuge on a raft hastily formed of the fragments of their canoe. Their weight sunk the raft a foot or two below the surface of the water, and, dreadful to say, the sharks surrounded them and dragged them off the raft one by one, until the lightened raft rose above the water and preserved the few survivors." Mrs. Bowdich who was an eye-witness of the tragic circ.u.mstances she describes, says:--"Sharks abounded at Cape Boast, and one day, as I stood at a window commanding a view of the sea, I saw some of the inhabitants of the town bathing, and the sharks hastening to seize upon them,--they being visible from always swimming with part of their dorsal fin out of water. I sent to warn the men of their danger, and all came ash.o.r.e except one, who laughed at the caution of his companions. A huge shark was rapidly approaching, and I sent my servant again, and this time armed with half a bottle of rum, to bribe the man to save himself. It was too late, the murderous creature had seized him, and the water around was dyed with his blood. A canoe was dispatched to bring him ash.o.r.e, but a wave threw him on to the beach; and it was found that the shark had taken the thigh bone completely out of the socket. The man, of course, expired in a very few minutes.

Accidents were often happening, and always fatal, and yet the negroes, who seldom think beyond the present moment, could not be dissuaded from bathing. A man walking in the sea, up to knees, was dragged away by one, almost before my eyes."

The Rays.

The Rays are large flat fish of which there are numerous species, the Thornback and the Common Skate being the best known. They have large pectoral fins, and some species grow to an enormous size. The Skate has been known to measure six or seven feet. Other species are the Homelyn Ray and the Sandy Ray which like the Thornback and the Skate are found in British waters. The Sting Ray and the Eagle Ray cover wider areas and grow to a gigantic size in tropic seas. It is a large species of the Eagle Ray that is known as the Sea Devil of the tropics. These fish, though very large, display no great antipathy to man, though from their enormous size and strength they are a source of danger to small craft.

Mr. Swinburne Ward in a letter to Colonel Playfair, quoted in Dr.

Percival Wright's "Concise Natural History", thus describes the capture of one of these monsters off the Seych.e.l.les.

"Coming home we pa.s.sed close to an enormous 'diable-de-mer' floating quietly about. We changed from the pirogue to the Whale-boat, which I had scientifically fitted up for the _gros poissons_, and went alongside of him, driving a regular whale harpoon right through his body. The way he towed the water was beautiful, but we would not give him an inch of line and he also had to succ.u.mb to a rather protracted lancing. His size will give you an idea of his strength in the water--forty-two feet in circ.u.mference! We got him awash on the beach, but the united strength of ten men could not get him an inch further, so we were obliged to leave him there. By this time the sharks will not have left much of him; they have not had such a meal as that for a long time. The fishermen say that when alive the sharks do not molest the 'diable-de-mer', whose offensive weapons consist of those enormous flexible sides (one can hardly call them fins) with which they can beat almost any shark to death. As a rule when harpooned, they endeavour, like other rays, to bury themselves in the sand, and if they succeed in doing this, no line can ever haul them out of it--their flat bodies act on the principle of an enormous sucker.

Another curious fact about them is that when harpooned they swim sideways, edge on, in order to avoid exposing too broad a surface to their enemy. They never do this unless harpooned."

Ray Catching.

Lieutenant Lament gave the following graphic description of a Ray fishing expedition in which he took part near Port Royal, Jamaica, in 1824, to Professor Jameson.

"The first appearance of an animal of this species, since I have been here, (about eighteen months,) was about two months ago, when I was called out to the beach by some of the inhabitants, whom I found, on going there, to be a.s.sembled in great numbers, to see what they called the _Sea Devil_. I confess my curiosity was not less excited than theirs, when I saw floating close to the surface of the water, about twenty yards from me, a large ma.s.s of living substance of a dark colour, but of the shape and size of which I could not, at the time, form any proper idea, it being so very different from what I had ever before seen or heard of, farther than that I supposed it to have been many times the size of what I now believe it was. No time was lost in setting out in pursuit of him, with harpoons, &c.; and it was not long before he was come up with, and struck with one of the harpoons, when he made off with great velocity, towing the boat after him. As he seemed to incline chiefly to the surface of the water, six or seven more harpoons were (with the a.s.sistance of several canoes that had come up) successively plunged into him, and all the boats made fast to each other, which he was obliged to pull after him, with several people in each. Such, however, was the great strength of the animal, that, after being fast in the manner I have described, for upwards of four hours, and taking the boats out to sea attached to him to a distance of about ten miles from the harbour, and having been pierced with so many wounds, he was still able to defy every effort to bring him in. It had now got late, and was dark, and an attempt was made to force him up near enough to get another large harpoon into him, this was no sooner done, than he darted off; and by an almost unaccountable and seemingly convulsive effort, in a moment broke loose from all fetters, carrying away with him eight or ten harpoons and pikes, and leaving every one staring at his neighbour in speechless astonishment, confounded at the power of the animal which could thus s.n.a.t.c.h himself from them at a time when they conceived him almost completely in their power.

"Since then some of these animals have occasionally been heard of at a distance from the harbour; and a few days ago, in coming over from Port Augusta with another gentleman, we fell in with one of them, which allowed us to get so near him, that it was determined to set out the next morning to look for him. We did so; and took with us several large harpoons, muskets, pikes, &c., determined, if it were possible, to bring him in. He was descried about eight o'clock near Greenwich, towards the top of the harbour, as usual floating near the surface, and moving slowly about. Having allowed the boat to get very close to him, he was struck with a harpoon, which was thrown at him in a most dexterous manner by Lieutenant St. John, of the royal artillery. He immediately set out towards the mouth of the harbour, towing the boat after him with such velocity, that it could not be overtaken by any of the others. After going on this way for near an hour he turned back, which enabled the other boats to lay hold; and four of them were tied, one after the other, to the one in which he was harpooned, with four of five people in each of them. By this means we hoped to tire him out the sooner. In about an hour and a half after he was first struck, a favourable opportunity offering, a large five-pointed harpoon, made fast to a very heavy staff, was thrown at him with such an elevation, that it should fall upon him with the whole weight of the weapon--this having been as well directed as the first, was lodged nearly in the middle of his back. The struggle he made at this time to get away was truly tremendous,--plunging in the midst of the boats,--darting from the bottom to the surface alternately,--dashing the water and foam on every side of him,--and rolling round and round to extricate himself from the pole. This might be considered as having given him the _coup de grace_, although, at short intervals afterwards, he was struck with two more harpoons, and several musket b.a.l.l.s were fired into him. Still he was able to set out again, taking the four boats after him, which he carried along with the greatest ease. Having gone in this way for some time he came to a stop, and laid himself to the bottom, when, with all the lines that were attached to him, it was quite impossible to move him. All expedients were nearly beginning to fail, when it was proposed to slacken the lines, which being done had the desired effect, and he again set out. Having thus got him from the ground, inch by inch was gained upon him, till he was got near the surface, when he was struck with two large pikes. He now got rather faint; and the boats closing on him on every side, the combat became general with pikes, muskets, and every weapon we had. In fact, to such a pitch were all excited on the occasion, that, had a cool spectator seen the affray, he would undoubtedly have imagined that it was his _sable majesty_ himself that we had got amongst us. He was now towed ash.o.r.e, being about five hours since he was first struck. This it required all the boats to do, and then but very slowly. His appearance now showed the extraordinary tenacity of life of which this animal must be possessed, as his whole body was literally a heap of wounds, many of which were through and through, and he was not yet quite dead. This circ.u.mstance, with his great strength, is the cause of the name which has been given him by the fishermen here, as they have never been able to succeed in taking one of them, and were firmly of opinion it was impossible to do so.

"On measurement, it was found to be in length and breadth much the same, about fifteen feet, and in depth from three to four feet. It had the appearance of having no head, as there was no prominence at its mouth; on the contrary, its exterior margin formed, as it were, the segment of a circle, with its arc towards the animal's body, and opening into a large cavity of about two feet and a half in width, without teeth, into which a man went with so much ease, that I do not exaggerate when I say, that another might have done so at the same time. On each side of the mouth projected a ma.s.s of cartilaginous substance like horns, about a foot and a half long, and capable of meeting before the mouth. These feelers moved about a great deal in swimming, and are probably of use in feeding. On looking on this animal as it lay on the ground with its back upwards, it might be said to be nearly equal in dimensions on every side, with the exception of the two lateral extremities, extending to a point about four feet from the body, and a tail about five feet long, four and a half inches diameter at the root, and tapering to a point.

Above the root of the tail was the dorsal fin, and on each side of it a flat and flabby substance close to the body, of the appearance of fins.

There were no other distinct fins, and its sole propelling power seemed to be its two lateral extremities, which became very flat and thin towards the point. As it shows these much in swimming, it gives a spectator an extraordinary idea of its size, as, to him imperfectly seen, the conclusion naturally is, if the breadth is so great, how much greater must the length be. This animal was a female, and was viviparous. On opening it, a young one, about twenty pounds weight, was taken out, perfectly formed, and which had been preserved. Wishing to know what it fed upon, I saw the stomach opened, which was round, about eight inches in diameter, and quite empty. It was closely studded over with circular spots of a muscular substance. Under the stomach was a long bag, with transverse muscular layers from end to end, and which contained nothing but some slime and gravel. This muscular appearance of the digestive organs would lead one to suppose that it fed upon other fish, as is the general opinion here, though its having no teeth does not support that idea. Its weight was so great that it was impossible to ascertain it at the time; but some idea may be formed of it when I a.s.sure you that it was with difficulty that forty men, with two lines attached to it, could drag it along the ground. Its bones were soft, and, with the exception of the jaw-bones, could be cut with a knife. One ridge of bone ran from the mouth to the middle of the back, where it was met by another running transversely, from the extremities of which there were two larger ones converging towards the tail."