STORIES OF THE SEA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8162, 25 January 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

STORIES OF THE SEA.

THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE GULF STREAM. AN UGLY CUSTOMER TO TACKLE. A SWORDFIBH captured during a recent voyage in the Gulf Stream was found to have in its stomach over thirty eyes and twenty beaks of the small cuttle fish, together with a few partly digested individuals. Swordfishes and sharks are natural enemies, always fighting when they meet, and there are accounts of fierce and deadly encounters between them. An ugly swordfish is a bad enemy to encounter, usin" its weapon, as it does, with such ease"and force. One will often drive its sword through the bottom of a boat, and, if it succeed* in withdrawing it without breaking it off, the boat rapidly fills with water, and the occupants driven into the sea, are savagely attacked and badly wounded by the furious fish. At times they are abundant on all sides, lying near the surface with their dorsal fin projecting above. THE DYING DOLPHIN. A sailor speared a dolphin one day, much to our surprise, for they seldom camo near enough to reach. For several days there had been a school around, probably attracted by the refuse thrown overboard, bv the brilliant light at night, and by the cuttlefish which kept near the vessel. They usually remained many feet below tha surface, and, viewed through the deep azure blue water of the Cull" Stream, the different colours of their bodies reflected in the sunlight, and again in the electric light, were beautiful in the extreme. At last one, coming too near the surface, received a fatal wound, and was successfully brought on deck. I had often heard of the changing colours of a dying dolphin, and now I was to witness them for the first time. No one can exaggerate the weird beauty of the sight as the fish in its last struggles changes through all its various hues. One can seo the colours disappear, to bo followed by others. Beginning with the head, they seem to sweep a wave over the body. Blue gives place to white, then a light yellow, which in turn changes to a golden, and following this a copper-coloured tint. THE PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR. Physalia, the Portuguese rnan-of-war, with its beautiful blue float, may at times be seen on all sides. The float, filled with air, serves to keep the animal on the surface, and, driven by the wind, to bear it from place to place. It is a curious animal, or rather cluster of animals we should say ; for naturalists now consider it to be a group of individuals, having different functions, but working for the same general cause—that of supporting the mass. They say that in this group there are some whose sole purpose is to obtain food, some to digest, others to reproduce, &c, yet each is an individual animal working for the good of the whole, that the whole may work for its good, and that in conjunction they perform all the functions of life necessary to the well-being and general welfare of the whole united colony. The cluster has mo3C remarkable defensive powers, being well furnished with lasso cells or stinging organs. These consist of little barbed, arrow-like points, fastened to thread-like arms, each of which is coiled up in a little cell. Whenever it is necessary to use them, they are hurled out with violence, and each barb, striking the object, penetrates, for it has the power of "working into flesh," and, being covered with a sort of poison, it, in conjunction with many others, benumbs the prey and renders it harmless. SEA BUTTERFLIES. In our surface towings we find many beautiful animals, but none have impressed me so strongly as the so-called sea butterflies. They are small, usually, and seldom found in abundance, and, being thus inconspicuous, are not likely to be seen by those not specially searching for them. Every colour is found in these beautiful forms, and, as they float upon the surface, with their ,wing -like expansions spread out to catch the wind, but a small amount of imagination is needed to transform them into butterflies accidentally fallen into the water. They have a very light and beautiful shell, with an air-chamber above to serve as a float, while from a lower compartment the wings are expanded. When started their sails are withdrawn into this chamber, and the oddly-shaped shell is alone exposed to view. Sea butterflies can, by arranging their sails so as to utilise the wind in the most effective manner, guide their course to a certain extent, just as the ship can proceed against a head wind.