Chap. XI.J 
MUSICAL SEA-SOUNDS. 
383 
Sounds somewhat similar are heard under water at 
some places on the western coast of India, especially 
in the harbour of Bombay. 3 At Caldera, in Chili, mu- 
sical cadences are stated to issue from the sea near the 
landing-place ; they are described as rising and falling 
fully four notes, resembling the tones of harp strings, 
and mingling like those at Batticaloa, till they produce 
a musical discord of great delicacy and sweetness. The 
1 These sounds are thus de- 
scribed by Dr. Btust in the 
Bombay Times of January 1847 : 
"A party lately crossing from the 
promontory in Salsette called the 
'Neat's Tongue,' to near Sewree, 
were, about sunset, struck by hear- 
ing long distinct sounds like the 
protracted booming of a distant 
bell, the dying cadence of an 
JEolian harp, the note of a pitch- 
pipe or pitch-fork, or any other 
long-drawn-out musical note. It 
was, at first, supposed to be music 
from Parell floating at intervals on 
the breeze ; then it was perceived 
to come from all directions, almost 
in equal strength, and to arise from 
the surface of the water all around 
the vessel. The boatmen at once 
intimated that the sounds were 
produced by fish, abounding in the 
muddy creeks and shoals around 
Bombay and Salsette; they were 
perfectly well known, and very 
often heard. Accordingly, on in- 
clining the ear towards the surface 
of the water; or, better still, by 
placing it close to the planks of the 
vessel, the notes appeared loud and 
distinct, and followed each other in 
constant succession. The boatmen 
next day produced specimens of 
the fish — a creature closely re- 
sembling in size and shape the 
fresh-water perch of the north of 
Europe — and spoke of them as 
plentiful and perfectly well known. 
It is hoped they may be procured 
alive, and the means afforded of 
determining how the musical sounds 
are produced and emitted, with 
other particulars of interest sup- 
posed new in Ichthyology. "We 
shall be thankful to receive from 
our readers any information they 
can give us in regard to a phe- 
nomenon which does not appear 
to have been heretofore noticed, 
and which cannot fail to attract 
the attention of the naturalist. 
Of the perfect accuracy with which 
the singular facts above related 
have been given, no doubt will be 
entertained when it is mentioned 
that the writer was one of a party 
of five intelligent persons, by all 
of whom they were most carefully 
observed, and the impressions of 
all of whom in regard to them 
were uniform. It is supposed that 
the fish are confined to particular 
localities — shallows, estuaries, and 
muddy creeks, rarely visited by 
Europeans; and that this is the 
reason why hitherto no mention, 
so far as we know, has been made 
of the peculiarity in any work on 
Natural History." 
This communication elicited one 
from Vizagapatam, relative to 
" musical sounds like the prolonged 
notes on the harp " heard to pro- 
ceed from under water at that 
station. It appeared in the Bom- 
bay Times of Eeb. 13, 1849. 
