Press enter after choosing selection

The Flying-fish And Its Foe

The Flying-fish And Its Foe image
Parent Issue
Day
12
Month
May
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

An extract from Nature, published in this paper on the 27th of last month, throws doubt on the pursuit of the flying-fish by the so-called dolphin, the coryphene. As I was once a witness of such a chasO, aecompanied by a circumstiince much rare'", I append an account ; One afternoon, during a voyage on a sailing vessel bound to a AVest Indian port, while the ship was maling some four or tive miles an hour, a coryphene was observed gambolling under the bows, going ahead a little, as if to show its superior speed, and then returning to its frolics. While the sailors were fastening the harpoon to a line the coryphene sighted a flying-lish. At once it stifïened itself ; its whole body quivered as if with excitenient ; its tail was agitated from one side to anot lier, and it started in pursuit, bounding over the surface of the sea with leaps of some fifteen or twenty feet. Although a stern chase is held to be a very long one, this lasted less than a minute ; one of the leaps brought the coryphene right under the terrilied flying-tish, which seemed to fall into its enemy's jaws. The latter returned to its "play-ground" under the bows, and was harpooned, brought on board and cut up vritlun two minutes after lts meal. Tlie flying-íish was taken out whole, uninjured. The coryphene is the beautifully-colored fish noted for the shifting and varieties of its tints when expiring. It is commonly but erroneously called a dolphin, as in this line of the wellknown verse : "The dying dolphin's changing hues." Now, in regard to the flying-fish, I have watched them on many voyages, and I can conñrm the observers who describe its motion as a leap, not an act of llying. It springs out of the water, gradually rising to the middle of its course, then falling, describing a parábola just as an arrow does in its. llight. I have repeatedly seen them chango direction during the leap, making a dertection amounting to about a half angle, never more. But 1 cannot agree with Mr. Whitman, who estimates the length of their leap to be as much as 800 or even 1200 feet. I opine that about 200 feet is a pretty big jump for one of these fishes, and instead of forty seconds, I calcutate the time occupied in a long leap at Uiteen seconds, which gives a velocity of nine miles and a fraction per hoai.-Communiaation to the New Orleans Times. Lambrequins for common rooms can be made f rom Cantón (cotton) flannel; tliis is to be had at slight expense in all desirable shades. It is well to use two contrasting colors in large lambrequins, cut in the desired forins, pink the edges, and in the centre of each point or scallop, place an etnbosstd picture. Strive for as mucli contrai-t as possible between the colors of the material and those in the pictures. Thus upon white the flowers should display a predominance of scarlet und green, when if your flannel is searlet your pictures should favor white and those" pearly neutral tints wliich will show most pleasantly on a souiet ground. ïliese lambrequins are re.lly rery pretty and have the advantage of being inexpensive, and easily made. The woolly side should be the riglit side, and if they are attached to the shelf with glue or paste, the marring effect occasionod by tacks will be aroided. - Rural Home. You are thinking perhaps that your room will laek color, but if your csrpet is bright, if your mantel lambrequin?, tiflies, and chair covers, all have a dasli of gay color, you will like the effect better than vou would were the color on the wall. Pictures, brackets and vas, show to niuch better iidTantage on the neutral backgroiu d ; as will your Englih ivy if you I'Ave one. A poorly lighted room sliould always have light walls, the gloom of a cloudy day ia much enhancel if walls and paint are dark. A predominance of red in a room gives it a warm look, blues and greeus, particularly the dark shades, are cold. A Kansas judge Is reported to have decided that a ticket to "admit one" is gootl for husband and wife. The judge uadoubtedly has a wife, and the circus aeason is at hand. The Philadelpliia Herakl asks. apprehensively: "What wlll be left of Delawan af ter she runa a canal thniugh liorsclf." Tlie proposition 3avor8 a suicide.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat