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A Fish Story

A Fish Story image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
March
Year
1879
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In parts of South America, especially in the rivers oi' Gulana and Brazil, one of the most savage of üshes is found. It seldom exceeds a foot in length, bnt is said to attack any animal that ventures near it, men, alligators or horses not excepted, as well as fishes of ten times their own weight, ïhe natives cali the lish "piraya," or "pirai," and scientists have, named it Serrasalmo piraya. It has nothing in cotnmon witli the salmón family, except the secoad dorsal fin, which resembles that worn by the fishes named ; yet this was considered enough to entitle it to its generic name, which may be translated "saw-salmon," the prefix referring to the strongly serrated abdomen of the iish, beside wliich the serratures of a shad or alewife are insignificant. lts teeth are sharp on the edge like thosc of some sharks, and are flat and triangular. The Macohshi Indians are reported to carry a piece of the jaw of the piraya, with which they sharpen their arrows by drawingthembetween the teeth, af ter the manner of certain "knife sharpeners." According to Spix, numbers of them will attack an ox, if it happens to encounter one or their schools in crossing a stream, and of ten so severely in jure it that it succumbs bef ore it can swim forty feet. In attacking a flsh they begin at the caudal ünd, and, thus deprived of its propelling power, the victim is at their mercy. The feet of water-fowl are often amputated, and bathing is unsafe in such streams as are infested with this small fish, Some authors state that one tribe of native3 place their dead in these streams tobe devoured by pirayas, which is quickly done, leaving a clean skeleton, which is tlu-ii removed and made ready f or their peculiar form of sepultura We read in Kehoniluirgck's "Travels in South America" that they are so greedy as to bite at the bare hook, and that on account of the sharpness of the teeth it was necessary to protect the line with metal. These accounts seem almost fabulous and yet appear to be wellvouched for.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus