THE VORACITY OF THE BARRA COUTA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 690, 8 May 1879, Page 2

THE VORACITY OF THE BARRA COUTA.

The barracouta is perhaps the most voracious and fierce nsh that exist* . . I have heard of its growing to , eight feet in length,, but never saw one oiiVof the water above three or $ur #$$. ' lam not a skilled ichthyologistC and r .^e^r saw much expression in a fish's eyes, but that of the , barracouta Js ,the embor diment of cold, .'cruelty; Tne sMpe oi the fish is almost exactly like that of a pike ; the teeth ard^hpweVer, different, very sharp, lancet-looking things. When lying at the island of Anriab6n y on W& west coast of Africa, we were anchored in about 15 fathoms water:. . The water was so beautifully clear, that we could see the bottom. . You nearly always saw one or more barracoutas lying fathoms down perfectly motionless, .whi^Bhoalß of a small mackerel kind of fish played hear the surface. The barracoutbs Appeared to take no notice, but; sometnnes the negroes, who used to come off in their canoes/ Would have'sbtne fiinwitn them; They would catch one of ; these mackerel, put it •on a hook, so as to make it spin, and poll away in their canoes ; the barracouta instantly catnß at it like a shot, and I saw several caught in this way, but one of, the captures was the most, extraordinary thing I ever saw. The barracouta, directly' lie found fijtal self hooked, instead of pulling afMlie line like most fish, went at the negtb in the cauoe like a savage dog, and jumped out of the water at his heMd. The negro, I suppose, was accustomed to this kind of thing, and knocked him over with-a club he had in the \>ms TJie fish was not, I should say, more than 301b in weight. ' I have hetord 6J ' one iumbihg through the bottom of one of our men* of-war gigs on the ooa«t,: in 'puritntai suppose of, a fish— and I believe it, but did not see it, although I knew the name of the ship.— D.M, , in Litndtmd Water.