142 



Aquatic ILitt 



Gurnards are peculiar looking fishes, 

 with large, bony heads, often furnished 

 with prominent spines. These spines 

 usually become less pronounced or obso- 

 lete, even disappearing with age. Their 

 teeth are very fine or minute, and in 

 bands, thus serviceable in securing their 

 prey. This consists of invertebrates, 

 such as worms, crustaceans, mollusks, 

 etc. A very characteristic development 

 is the three lower pectoral rays, which are 

 really modified tactile organs. The gur- 

 nard, being a bottom dweller, moves close 

 over the stones and sand, and uses these 

 rays, which appear like fingers or claws, 

 in its hunt for food. By probing and 

 feeling about the crevices the presence of 

 prey is detected, as the rays are highly 

 sensory. 



Some species of gurnards live in deep 

 water, and these are red in color. Like- 

 wise the flesh, which, though seldom 

 valued as food in our region, is quite pala- 

 table, and its usual pink color suggests 

 salmon. Many gurnards utter grunting 

 sounds, by contracting the air-vessel, and 

 the name gurnard was originally applied 

 with reference to these sounds, which are 

 very noticeable as the fish are taken from 

 the water. Other names are pig-fish and 

 grunt, and at Nantucket we heard "Peter- 

 grunter," derived from the same habit. 



It may be interesting to note that only 

 two species of gurnards occur on our 

 New Jersey coast. Of these I have rec- 

 ords or examined material as follows : 



Short-finned Gurnard (Prionotus 

 carolinus). Atlantic County (Atlantic 

 City, Somer's Point) ; Cape May County 

 (Anglesea, Beesley's Point, Cape May, 

 Corson's Inlet, Ludlam Bay, Sea Isle 

 City, Townsend's Inlet) ; Monmouth 

 County (Belford, Long Branch, Sandy 

 Hook). 



Long-Finnkd Gurnard {Prionotus stri- 

 gatus). Atlantic County (Absecon, At- 

 lantic City) ; Cape May County (Angle- 



sea, Avalon, Beesley's Point, Cape May, 

 Corson's Inlet, Five Fathom Bank, 

 Grassy Sound, Ludlam Bay, McCrie's 

 Shoal, Ocean City, Old Eph Buoy, Sea 

 Isle City, Stone Harbor) ; Monmouth 

 County (Belford, Long Branch, Mana- 

 squan, Sandy Hook). 



French War Orphans 



The children of France have not yet 

 emerged from the shadow of the war. 

 With peace assured, and a happier future 

 opening before them, it becomes increas- 

 ingly evident that the child life of France 

 has suffered a shock from which it is dif- 

 ficult to rally ; while the birth rate has 

 dropped to 8 to each iooo population. 



The Fatherless Children of France, an 

 American organization co-operating with 

 a similar one in Paris of which Marshal 

 Joffre is the head, reports that of the chil- 

 dren receiving American aid to the extent 

 of 10 cents a day under its plan of secur- 

 ing American godmothers for the little 

 French war waifs, its records show an 

 average of 700 children's deaths per 

 month since the armistice. The help of 

 the American godmothers came too late 

 to save these undernourished nerve- 

 shocked little ones. 



Mrs. Walter S. Brewster, of Chicago, 

 vice chairman of the Fatherless Children 

 of France, has been appointed chairman 

 of a campaign to secure American aid for 

 the 60,000 little war orphans whose 

 names were on the lists of the organiza- 

 tion as "unadopted" before the signing of 

 the armistice. Ten cents will care for a 

 child for an entire day; $3.00 for a 

 month ; while for $36.50 a year the donor 

 may select a child from the lists at the 

 organization's headquarters and be placed 

 in correspondence with it. To adopt a 

 child or make a donation write for in- 

 formation to Mrs. Walter S. Brewster, 

 Room 634, 410 S. Michigan avenue, Chi- 

 cago. 



