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. 1 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. Buist 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 

 iEolian 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 folJ owed 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 Feb. 13, 1849. 



