132 GIANT FISHES 



the Red Drum or Channel Bass {Scicenops ocellatus) occurs in 

 the same region, and the Fresh-water Drum (Aplodinotus 

 grunniens) ranges from the Great Lakes to Texas. Among 

 large species found in the seas of India and the Malay Penin- 

 sula may be mentioned Parma parma, Scicena diacanthus and 

 Scicena coihor. 



The Croakers are mostly found in shoals of considerable 

 size, and they abound on sandy stretches of coast. They 

 avoid places where the bottom is rocky and are never to be 

 found in waters of any depth. On the whole, they seem to 

 show a preference for muddy rather than clear water. Some 

 of the Croakers are slender, active, predaceous fishes, preying 

 almost entirely upon smaller fishes ; others, of more stocky 

 build, live rather more sluggish lives and feed upon small 

 fishes, crustaceans, shellfish, worms and other ground-living 

 creatures. Some of these bottom-living Croakers are provided 

 with one or more short barbels or feelers on the chin, which 

 are highly sensitive, and aid in the search for food buried in 

 sand or mud. 



Many of these fishes are renowned for their ability to 

 produce sounds, that have been variously described as grunt- 

 ing, purring, humming, whistling, croaking, snoring, bellowing, 

 drumming, etc. — an accomplishment to which many of the 

 popular names refer. The noises produced are quite audible at 

 considerable distances, and a person standing on the deck of a 

 ship is able to hear the sound made by a fish swimming several 

 fathoms below the surface. A French author tells us that a 

 certain sea captain going up the Gironde when he first heard 

 the " song " of the Meagre was much alarmed, believing that 

 his vessel had sprung a leak and that water was flowing into 

 the hold. The vocal powers of the Meagre were well known to 

 classical writers, and it is possible that the Greek myth of 

 the song of the Sirens had its origin in the sounds made by a 

 shoal of these fishes. The native fishermen in various parts 

 of the world make use of this peculiarity to locate the shoals 

 of fish, one of their number listening-in, as it were, and instruct- 

 ing his companions where to cast their nets. Curiously 

 enough, some Roncadors seem to make no sound at all, in 

 other species it is only the males, and in others again both 

 sexes seem to indulge in vocal efforts. The noises are produced 



