High Jumpers of the Oseau.

Otago Witness, Issue 2823, 22 April 1908, Page 76

High Jumpers of the Oseau.

; (Charles Frederick Holder, m the New \ York. Post) There may be mora extraordinary spectacle* m the field of angling tiian the vision ■ or. a big tarpon swinging'in the air a blazo cf silver or a tuna high above the waters goiug up like an arrow, but I have never ; observed thorn. The photographing of fish ■ is a new field — that is,, of fish taken m their • native element, and I have- numerous sky ! scenes representing supposed tunas- and j tarpcns that were there a few seconds J before, but m some way they slipped out :or the- Seld of vision. The best opportunity ; ever offered to photograph a tuna found . — -y camera: afc home, and when- ono has \ played a. fisb four hours and been towed 10 or 12 miles, he loses interest m mere photographs. On the occasion referred- to, I was stand- . lag on a trail m the Santa Catalina moun- : tains, when I saw below on, ther blue water s. mass of foam as whito as silver. It was moving slowly up the island, and) hastening down to the bay I secured a light sMff and intercepted it off Avalon. It was a school of tunas charging a school of flying fishes, driving them up the coast m such numbers that the air geemed filled with gigantic dragon Sies. and. I was- repeatedly obliged : to dodge them, several passing over ihe boat, while the tunas were rising, all about me by dozens, A camera thafc would have s-pept a third ef the horizon would haver reproduced! a icaxvellaue picture of animated fish life m midair. I had nothing: but eyes, which, were easily deceived^ yet I ikhik I sa-w tunas leap 12 or more feet-ir-to fche air che majority covering four or five feet. The jumps were made- fco seize the flying

' fish, and while I did not observe any taken | m ihe air I believe that at times it is I acjon". pished. I saw tunas- strike the flying ' fii:_r :•: £._■_ air sevoral fee^ above tHe surface ! a;d" .ccs ihem several feet higher, where • they -s /oii'cdi .ike a pinwhael, to fall upon. the v.aLer and- be se : zed immediately, illustraiirg tho enormous farce of the impact. These fish weigh frem 1501 b to 2501 b, and ihey t*rr:e .ip at full s^ced, as clean cut and splendid a leap as can be imagined". It v/as a jcirtinuoue line of beauty. The tuna came out at an angle cf say forty-five degree*, rcse steadily until ;•> reached the apex- of iis iPap, than turned gracefully, i'le hoad dropping quickly, the fish pluugiug' du'.vn at the sa.rne angle., and entering the s^a witli XA.'Xe ov no splash or con-.nic' ion. --Xi<:?e //a -3 -io struggle m the air. no s>,ing, no ' snapping it the same, nothing but tiie s.leitdid .cap, tfie'.'uwcefui -eturn. 7 r i;h numbers of ches-3 splendid, £shes | leaping ai! about me and. vr;':h;n a fow feet i of the Doai. ii wr.s mstnifesfy diaicult to calmly ,nca,sure the leaps, but I stood; on i'-.e- side cf the beat ; n: Lhe centre cf' the macisivo i;, that must hs've covered eeveral acres, and believe that I 3CW the tail of a tana 7ft above me, the leap beins l?,ft or mo!«, nofc .once, but several times. STet I confess that I was noi: m ibe placid state of mind that was productive of the best judgment. I was dodging the smaller animated projectiles, numbers of which, were skimming over- the water, while others appa-rtittly sought protection bensath- the. bear. I iTiily expected to see a tuna leai»---i vio *he. boai by. acc-'dent, as they were v.:«!i?ng and itXiiarr. all* about roe! apparently, ignoring- the hoar. Sucn r.n event couldhwe bed but one result— rthe tuna would hi-re gone through the beat's plznks. The leap of the tuna to- niy isind is the __n_-fc graceful and clean cut of all. £shes. The. ST7crdßsh is taken at Santa O&ieiina. -•ji.and; with terpen and: tuna tackle-, and o. r ten leaps en the strike. It is a constant leaner 'cr its owni arr.usenteic. but .nothing oould bo mere' , clumsy, more- impotent. 'Xlhe £sh- develops, m ail' probability, a grss.ier speed m its rush ih£n any known fish, judging, by the results. It enters the a:r. judging: from observation, at an ansle cf forty, degrees, rises so- that its tail is sorueiimes 2ffc fi-cm. the water, then drcpo d'smally upon, its belly with a loud crash. 'There is a complete absence or grace m the return-,, or even rise, though the- fish has a. heavy "bowsprit" or swond to bring its head down. The flying' ffeh; does not fly— it soars slowly : yet my experiments- with fche-camera have resulted i__t but five or six indistinct pictures: during which I was struck- fairly under the ear by a fish, which- knocked mebackward into- the boat. I have had* them cross my boat, and been compelled' to tuTn my head to avoid' being struck, haye seen a companion bombarded, and have knocked the flier do>vn as -it crossed: the boat. The fish that I dodged as it passed ove. the boat was not photographed for various- reasons. At one moment it was too- near, then it was hoad on., the next *eco_id tail, on, and when I did touch the button the kodak, aimed the^ wrenct way. The £sh makes its leaps- by dashinw out o!: water with a. furious, twisting of the vail, the lower lobe being the longest. This forces it to stand on its tail at an angle oi forty-five degrees. The pectoral fins or tt'ings are strafcehed as well as the lower smaller pair, so four wings or sails are presented. The "sculling" is continued for SiVeral seconds, forcing the fish along for 10 to SOft,. its tail alone touching tho surface. By this time the air beneath the "sails" begins to accumulate, and suddenly lifts the jumper- clear out of the water. It soars away a foot or more above it m any direction. When the wind was heavy I have seen the fish, tilting frcm side to side to° preserve its balance, then when wishing to turn full away, tipping slightly up— ard sc the wind could catch it. Finally it* would- turn away and soar before the wind, a, perfect automaton, but not m any-se-ise a fiyer. Superficial observers have vecca-ded the fact thai- ifc i» flight, but this is due to bhe fact that the untrained observer think* he sees "wings"' being beaten, as m the case of a bird. The truth is,, the violent screw-like beating o_ the tad r impacts- a convulsive "wriggling" motion to the body,, whicht m turn reaches the wings, and they too quiver and. scintillate, but only until the leaper clears the water; then alt. motion ceases. The big fish that passed a- few inches from my faoe over the cabin of a launch was motionless. It came on, blacfc eyes sta<rinp. four sailsset and fixed, not deviating an inch, aimed; directly fdr my face, nor did-_ it attempt to deflect as ifc passed. Its position Wjas at an angle of forty-five degrees, so the "w.ings^' could present ' the greatest surface against the wind I have seen ■« school of thirty or more, gushed by tunas, leao into the air and be lifted 25ft or 30£t by a sudden gust or. wind.