308, 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



again. A young fox, with a slow running dog, is apt to 

 stay near his den. A fast dog will often run him off. 

 Many good and well-bred dogs will not kill a fox if they 

 come up to hiuij as is well known. The writer remembers 

 one instance of a black and tan bitch belonging to a neigh- 

 boring sportsman, being seen not ten feet from a dog fox 

 sitting on her haunches and barking at him, and he has 

 heard of others of the same kind. It generally seems to 

 be the opposite sexes that so fraternize, and only when one 

 dog is running. * Mush Quash. 



wli gsttltnii*. 



the Hamburg aquarium. 



— » 



BY DR. H. DORNBR. 



[Continued from page 19^.] 



THE greater part of the aquarium was devoted to the 

 fishes. We exhibited mostly those found in the 

 North Sea, a few from the Baltic Sea, and all the fresh 

 water fishes which came into our possession. Most of the 

 fishes of the sea — indeed most all of the marine animals — 

 were furnished to the aquarium by a fisherman of Heligo- 

 land, a man who for years had searched the surroundings 

 of his little bit of fatherland after the interesting forms of 

 animal life, and was known to every naturalist who spent 

 some fine summer weeks on the shores of the little island 

 engaged in zoological studies. Hilmer Luehrs knew of no 

 greater pleasure than to serve as a faithful guide to 

 some student or professor who devoted his time to the ani- 

 mals, and every one soon found out that he could trust to 

 no better man for fishing, dredging, or collecting in other 

 ways the various treasures with which the sea abounds. 

 The islander did not talk very much, none of his country- 

 men are fond of talking, but whatever he said was expe- 

 rienced and reliable. He knew to a certainty all places 

 within the radius of five miles where there were to be 

 found the different forms of aquatic life, and was sure to 

 bring to light a certain fish, a crustacean, a sponge, a lu- 

 cernaria, a carupanularia, or what else the sea contained. 

 All remarkably shaped animals which casually were caught 

 by his fellow fishermen were conveyed to him, aud so he 

 was sure to collect a great variety of interesting animals, 

 which from time to time he sent to Hamburg. 



Some more animals were obtained from a fisherman liv- 

 ing near the mouth of the Thames; another fisherman 

 living in Norway brought the brilliantly colored wrasses 

 {Labrus miztus and maeulatm) and the northern red crabs 

 {IMIwdes antica), against which wc used to exchange the 

 animals possessed by the aquaria at Berlin, Brussels, Co- 

 logne, Hanover, London aud Havre. 



I do not propose to give a long list of all the fishes con- 

 tained in our tanks, but prefer to make a few remarks 

 about those which invited the observation by their mode 

 of living, or by exhibiting various stages of development. 

 I am glad to mention, as the first among them, the common 

 perch, {Perca fiuviatitis) as it reminds me of my juvenile 

 sports, when I, with some companions, used to catch these 

 beautiful and lively animals, which required no unusual 

 skill to induce them to take a bait. They are very bold 

 and voracious, and easily tamed, so that after a few days' 

 confinement in a tank they take the food freely out of 

 one's hand. They differ but slightly from the yellow perch 

 (Perca Jlacescens) found in the United States and Canada, 

 and are distinguished from them only by their darker color 

 and their smooth operculum, which in the American spe- 

 cies shows so:ne shallow furrows or stria?. Guather states 

 that, after an examination of the skeletons, he is inclined 

 to consider both to be varieties of one and the same spe- 

 cies. The perch is not only a lively and beautiful fish, but also 

 exhibits a remarkable tenacity of life. It will do no harm 

 to him to have been for six hours or more out of the wa- 

 ter, and it is a fact that the same individuals that have been 

 exhibited for sale in the market may be taken back to the 

 water in the evening, and will appear just as brisk and 

 lively on the fishmonger's stand during the following day. 

 In rivers he prefers the sides and the shallower places to 

 the deeper parts, but in some lakes he is found in consid- 

 erable depths. This is particularly mentioned of those 

 living in the lakes of Switzerland, where the perches 

 brought up from the depth of thirty to forty fathoms ex- 

 hibit a remarkable peculiarity. The cavity of their mouth 

 is filled with a clumsy body resembling a thickly swollen 

 tongue, which, when closer examined, proves to be the 

 stomach completely turned up so that the inside of it has 

 become the outside. The cause of this emergency is the 

 sudden expansion of the air contained in the swimming 

 bladder. While the fish is violently carried into shallower 

 places, the pressure of the water diminishes, the swim- 

 ming bladder bursts, being too weak to resist the force of 

 the expanding air, and the latter, entering the free abdom- 

 inal cavity and pressing against the outer surface of the 

 stomach, flings the latter towards the throat. 



The genus Labrax or bass is represented on the Europe- 

 an shores only by a single species, Labrax lupus, a fish 

 plainly distinguished from the perches by Aristotle al- 

 ready. All the other species of Labrax, six in number, 

 are to be found in American waters. The European bass is 

 perhaps not as handsome as the famous slriped bass of this 

 country, but he is equally attractive by his lively manners, 

 his splendidly glittering body, and the easiness with which 

 he can be kept in sea or fresh water for a considerable length 

 of time. 



Next to the bass we kept the Sander (Lucioperca sandra) 

 in small numbers. This fish resembles the common perch 



by having a number of transverse dark bands across the 

 body> but is easily distinguished from him by his lead 

 color and the large projecting teeth in both jaws. He is as 

 rapacious as the perch, but does not exhibit the same live- 

 liness, usually lying almost motionless upon the bottom of 

 his tank, and hardly coming forth when some smaller fish 

 are in his neighborhood. Accordingly he did not live well 

 in our tanks, and had often to be refurnished. It is a pity 

 that this fish, the number of which rapidly diminishes in 

 European waters, is not bred artificially, being one of the 

 most delicate and tasteful of the river fishes, esteemed al- 

 most like the salmon. 



All the above named fishes have their near relatives in 

 American waters, the sander being represented by Lucio- 

 perca grisea, a handsomely spotted or mottled river fish, ex- 

 hibited in some splendid specimens in the New York 

 Aquarium; but no representative is to be found in America 

 of the Ruffe or Stur {Acerina cernua) a small fish, spotted 

 all over the body and fins, and distinguished from the fore- 

 going fishes by having but a single dorsal. The head of 

 this lively, hardy, rough-skinned fish has something mar- 

 tial in its appearance, like the iron-clad head of some me- 

 diaeval knight; the gill cover projects in a sharp spine, and 

 it is quite a sight to look at a school of these simply but 

 interestingly marked animals spreading out their indented 

 dorsal fin as far as possible, and gliding in every direction 

 through the clear water. As food fishes they are not much 

 esteemed, being small and having a great many small 

 bones, yet they are valued as a fit nourishment for weak 

 and convalescent people. 



Two species of Trachinus or Weever fishes, a genus also 

 not represented in North American waters, were exhibited 

 in our aquarium, the Greater Weever or Sting Bull (TracJti- 

 nus draco) and the Viper Weever or Viper fish (Trachimis 

 vipera). These fishes are highly interesting, both in their 

 form and manners. The form of their body resembles a 

 thick knife or blade, the back being nearly flat, and the 

 sides high and compressed. The pectorals, abdominals, 

 and the first dorsal are very small, and lie close together, 

 but the second dorsal and the anal fin are of extreme 

 length, lining almost the entire body. 



As soon as these fishes are brought into a tank they hur- 

 ry to the bottom, and quick as lightning are concealed be- 

 tween the gravel and sand, the upper part of their head 

 and the large, protruding eyes being the only parts of their 

 body still to be seen. The long anal fin is the chief motor 

 during this performance. They are caught by means of 

 trawl nets in great quantities on the northern shores of 

 France and the Nethei lands, and brought to the market 

 fresh and smoked, generally averaging one foot in length. 

 Two years ago I had occasion to see a great number of 

 them in the northern part of Holland, and to make inqui- 

 ries about their supposed venosity. All fishermen, when 

 asked, asserted this to be the case, and said that they were 

 accustomed to handle these fishes with the greatest caution, 

 cutting away the first rays of the dorsal fin and the spines 

 of the gill cover before exhibiting them for sale. I was 

 also told that some of the men had occasionally suffered 

 from injuries made by the sharp spines of the Weevers, 

 and that after a sting, not only the injured part but the 

 whole body suffered more or less pains for about a week. 



I am well aware that venosity is supposed in many in- 

 stances where a r eal fluid venom never has been found. If, 

 after the bite of a rat or the sting from the spine of the dog 

 shark, the injured part swells and becomes painful and 

 purulent, the tooth or the spine is commonly called poison- 

 ous, and yet any puncheon made of bone, wood, or steel is 

 able to cause the same effect. In all these cases the evil 

 consequences are caused by the blood being shut out from 

 circulation, and yet remaining in the body. But the sick- 

 ness following the sting of a Weever is of quite a different 

 nature, there being an extensive inflammation, the limbs 

 swollen to a large extent, and pains almost in the whole 

 body. 



If we examine the spine itself which, unlike trie spines 

 at the gill covers of perches, sanders, and other fishes does 

 not form the very end of the gill cover, but is situated a 

 little before the hind border of it, we find a hollow channel 

 extending almost through its entire length, and opening a 

 little before its tip. Thus it bears a close resemblance to 

 the hollow tooth of a poisonous snake. To prove its pois- 

 onous nature it would still be necessary to find the gland 

 secreting the poison, which I was unable to observe in 

 the only specimen which, a short time before my depar- 

 ture for America, I had occasion to examine. Likewise I 

 did not succeed in causing any serious damage to a lively 

 Goldsinny, {Orenilabrus rupestris) the body of which I 

 pierced in three places with the spine of a living Viper 

 fish. But I may mention that a genus of Batrachoid fish- 

 es, Thalassophryme, living in the vicinity of Panama, is 

 undoubtedly poisonous, Dr. Gunther having found and de- 

 scribed (Proc, Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 155) the poison organ to 

 which is attac] ed a hollow spine closely resembling the 

 spines of Traclunus. Capt. T, M. Dow, C. M. Z. S., who 

 had occasion to observe some living specimens of Thalas- 

 sophryme at Panama, states in a letter addressed to Dr. 

 Gunther (P. Z. S. 1865, p. 677) that the slightest pressure 

 of the finger at the base of the spine caused the poison to 

 jet a foot or more from the opening of the spine. 

 [To be continued.'] 

 — ^>» 



Mr. C. G. Atkins, of Maine, has concluded his operations 

 for the collection of spawn at Grand Lake stream. He has 

 secured about 550,000 eggs— about half the number of last 

 year. Mr. Atkins will remain at the stream much of the 

 winter to superintend the .hatching. 



STRANGE FISH. 



Prof. W. C. Coup, of the New York Aquarium, corner 

 of Broadway and Thirty-fifth street, has very kindly loaned us 

 the cuts illustrating this article. Both fish are on exhibition 

 at the aquarium, and are exceedingly interesting. The twin 

 salmon is a freak of nature, not uncommon, but never be- 

 fore brought to public notice in a fashion that made an ex- 

 amination practicable. The two bodies are attached to one 

 sac,- but each fish is perfect in itself. The connecting vesi- 

 cle is filled with oil globules, arteries and veins, and it was 

 expected that a microscopic examination would discover a 

 diaphragm separating the circulation into two distinct sys- 

 tems. The closest scrutiny, however, fails to discover this 

 wall, and the circulatory systems appear so intimately con- 

 nected that the blood flows freely from one body to the 

 other, impelled, however, by two hearts. 



TWIN SALMON. 



There is probably but little chance of their living after 

 the absorption of the sac, for if they survive till that time 

 the abdomens will be joined by the membrane of the sac, 

 and being thus compelled to swim on their sides, great dif- 

 ficulty will be experienced in obtaining food. In this in- 

 stance, however, a careful system of artificial feeding will 

 be adopted in case the pair reach an age when they will 

 need such nourishment. 



THE KINGIYO. 

 The presence in the Aquarium of the Japanese Kingiyo 

 should be a cause of special congratulation, as it was trans 

 ported from Japan only by infinite pains-taking. The body 

 is red in color, similar to that of a brilliantlyhued gold 

 fish; the tail, however, is a pearly white, and as it rests iu 

 the water presents the appearance of a fine, silken fabric, 

 terminating in a delicate fringe. The Japanese claim that 

 the brilliant colors; displayed in this fish, and the wonderful 

 development of its triple tail, are the result of many years 

 careful breeding. This one is an unusually fine speci- 

 men. In Baltimore there are seven of these fish which, 

 during the summer, spawned, the result being about 

 fifty young fry, which exhibit all the peculiarities of the 



originals. 



***9» ■ 



Spawn for Pennsylvania.— A Greenville (Pa.), corres- 

 pondent writes: The State Commissioners of Pensylvania, 

 have notified the Fish Warden of this locality that they 

 will be on hand next month with our allottment of spawn, 

 salmon and brook trout. They will have something like a 

 million of the above, with Sacramento salmon, to distribute 

 this winter. Fish culture thus begins to assume a substan- 

 tial shape, thanks to the quiet education in that direction 

 which has been going on during the past few years. 

 vX -*♦*— ■ 



Stocking Connecticut Waters.— J. Ives Pease, of 

 Twin Lakes, Salisbury, Connecticut, says, December 

 16th:— 



"Of the three thousand lake trout "we" put into the lake 

 two winters ago, nothing has yet been seen; but it is hoped 

 that at least a sample fish may be caught during the winter 

 by somebody, and a report thereof made. By the way, 

 the hatching house on "Our Farm" has been put in running 

 order, with a new tank, and a capacity of screen-room ot 

 nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand (or, say a million), 

 and an installment of twenty five thousand is daily ex- 

 pected to arrive from McKean county, Pennsylvania, which 

 are to be hatched for the "Salisbury Game and Fish Pro- 

 tecting Society" by one of its members (the artist men- 

 tioned above), and are to be placed in some of the deplete* 

 trout brooks of this over-fished region. 



