Tbe Drum 315 



were deeper, a roaring boom so penetrating that 

 it could be heard throughout a large room. It 

 happened that I was looking at one of the fishes 

 when the sound was made, and noticed a very 

 slight opening of the mouth and gills, a convulsive 

 movement. The drumming is possibly a sexual 

 call, at least it is heard more in the spring when 

 the fishes are breeding, both sexes uttering it; 

 that produced by the male is the loudest, that of 

 the female is said to be the most musical. The 

 drumming sound is produced by the air-bladder, 

 and whether it can be heard to any great distance 

 beneath the water is a question unsolved. I have 

 been fortunate in hearing the vocal accomplish- 

 ments of a number of fishes, and several are 

 certainly as interesting as the drum's and one as 

 startling. The common grunt (Hamulon) of the 

 Florida reef would always grunt and groan in a 

 most despairing way when caught. The loudest 

 noise I have heard made by a fish was uttered by 

 a midshipman, a fish nearly a foot long, which I 

 kept in a tank at Santa Catalina Island. This 

 fish would utter a loud resonant croak or bark 

 under water which could be heard with startling 

 distinctness fifty feet away. 



Nearly all of the Sciaenidae are sound utterers f 



