2IO Fish Stories 



dolphin striker of a ship ; but their changes were from purple 

 to dark green. This splendid creature has evidently joined 

 ranks with the Santa Catalina galaxy of game fishes, and 

 taken its place as one of the finest of this prolific region. 

 Several have been taken this season, and nearly all leaped 

 with the vivacity of a tarpon. 



In all waters the idea of a sea umbrella is carried out, 

 fishes congregating beneath floating circular patches of weed. 

 This is particularly true of the Gulf of Mexico. Not only 

 is the weed a protection to little fishes of the mackerel tribe, 

 but others attach themselves to all the large jellyfishes and 

 even live up beneath the death-dealing tentacles of the 

 physalia. 



I never lifted a Portuguese man-of-war in the Gulf of 

 Mexico that did not afford protection to countless little 

 fishes, which mimicked the beautiful parts of the floating 

 animal. The commonest of these species — ^the man-of-war 

 fish — so closely resembled the death-deaHng tentacles that 

 it was almost impossible to see them. Perhaps if these fishes 

 could be transferred to the floating kelp gardens of the Santa 

 Catalina channel, they would become green. Experiments 

 in different aquariums tend to show that the eye is the 

 medium through which fishes change their color. The 

 change is due mainly to the degree of tension of the skin and 

 scales. This varies with the fish's feelings. A blind fish 

 does not change. Only a fish who can see knows how he 

 feels in relation to external objects. 



