THE SILENCE OF THE SEA 71 



which, by a specical mechanism, is well cstahHshed. The drumming 

 sound is supposed to have given rise to the Greek legend of the the 

 song of the Sirens, which beguiled Ulysses. The voice is the voice 

 of a troubador, so is heard mainly in the breechng season. In this 

 family there is a special sound-producing muscle, which is not directly 

 attached to the swim-bladder, but leads to a tendon that lies above 

 this organ. The muscle contracts in a series of vibrations 24 per 

 second, and these cause the air-bladder to vibrate ; when the bladder 

 is removed or deflated the sound ceases, but it can be produced 

 again if an artificial bladder of indiarubber is introduced. The 

 sound is described as of a continuous booming character. All 

 Seiaenidse do not drum, but it has been found that the otoliths or 

 earstones in the saccule of the ear are larger in the drummers than 

 those that are dumb, so that a relation exists between voice and 

 hearing in this family. 



Dr. Beatty also describes the grunt fishes, which include the 

 sea-robin (Prionotus) and the toadfish (Opsanus). " Here the 

 operating muscles are intrinsically connected with the air-bladder, 

 so that the bladder can be removed and caused to grunt by electric 

 stimulation of the muscles. These fishes have been a source of 

 considerable inconvenience to hydrographers engaged in charting 

 the floor of the Atlantic by the method of echo depth sounding." 



Coming to home waters we find that the familiar family of Gur- 

 nards are kno^\Ti to utter obscure grunting sounds, when taken out 

 of the sea, and that they continue them at intervals as long as they 

 are alive. The common English name gurnard is derived from O.F. 

 " gornart " akin to the French " grogner," to grunt. Several popular 

 names of members of the family doubtless refer to the sounds pro- 

 duced : the piper (Trygla lyra) and the grey gurnard or crooner are 

 examples. To croon means, in Scotland, to make a dull croaking 

 sound. According to Couch, " the grey gm^nards, commonly keep 

 together in companies, and in fine weather assemble in large numbers 

 and mount to the surface over the deep water and, when thus 

 aloft, they move along at a slow pace, rising and sinking iia the 

 water for short distances, and uttering a short grunt as if in self- 

 gratification." 



The personal experience of the A\Titer of the article on sound 

 production is described in the work, " Reptiles, Amphibians and 

 Fishes," edited by Cunningham : " the sapphirine gurnard (Trigla 

 hirundo) emits distinct sounds which may be described as a succession 

 of short grunts. The sounds are produced in the air-bladder, which 

 is divided by a transverse diaphragm perforated by a hole in the 

 centre." The diaphragm contains radiating and circular muscle 



