among shore-dwellers generally there obtains an idea that the ocean, except in the immediate vicinity of land, is an awful solitude, its vast emptiness closely akin to the spaces above. but while admitting fully that there is little room for wonder at such a speculative opinion, it must be said that nothing could well be farther from the truth. indeed, we may even go beyond that statement, and declare that the fruitful earth, with its unimaginable variety and innumerable hosts of living things, is, when compared to the densely populated world of waters, but a sparsely peopled desert. a little knowledge of the conditions existing at great depths, may well make us doubt whether any forms of life exist able to endure the incalculable pressure of the superincumbent sea; but leaving all the tremendous area of the ocean bed below 200 fathoms out of the question, there still remains ample room and verge enough for the justification of the statement just made.
nothing has ever excited the wonder and admiration of naturalists more than this prodigious population of the sea—these unthinkable myriads of hungry things which are shut up to the necessity of preying upon each other since other forms of food do not exist.320 the mind recoils dismayed from a contemplation of their countlessness, as it does from the thought of timelessness or the extent of the stellar spaces, shrinkingly admitting its limitations and seeking relief in some subject that is within its grasp. but without touching upon the lower forms of life peopling the sea, and so escaping the burden of thought which the slightest consideration of their myriads entail, it is possible to note, without weariness, how, all over the waste spaces of a remote and unhearing ocean, fish of noble proportions and varying degrees of edibility disport themselves, breeding none know where, and revealing their beauties to the passing seafarer as they gather companionably around his solitary keel. excluding all the varied species of mammals that form such an immense portion of the sea-folk, it may roughly be said that the majority of deep-sea fish belong to the mackerel family, or scombridæ. they possess, in an exaggerated form, all the characteristics of that well-known edible fish that occasionally gluts our markets and gladdens the hearts of our fishermen.
one of the least numerous, but from his size and prowess probably the monarch of all sea fish, is the sword-fish, xiphias. this elegant fish attains an enormous size, specimens having been caught weighing over a quarter of a ton; but owing to the incomparable grace of its form, its speed and agility are beyond belief. it is often—in fact, generally—confounded with the “saw-fish,” a species of shark; the principal reason of this confusion being the great number of321 “saws” or beaks of the latter, which are to be found in homes about the country. yet between the sword of the xiphias and the “saw” of the pristiophoridæ there is about as much similarity as there is between the assegai of a zulu and the waddy of a black-fellow. the one weapon is a slender, finely pointed shaft of the hardest bone, an extended process of the skull, about two feet long in a large specimen. impelled by the astounding vigour of the lithe monster behind it, this tremendous weapon has been proved capable of penetrating the massive oaken timbers of a ship, and a specimen may be seen in the museum of natural history at south kensington, at this present time, transfixing a section of ship’s timber several inches in thickness. the “saw,” on the other hand, is, like all the rest of a shark’s skeleton, composed of cartilage, besides being terminated at the tip by a broad, almost snout-like end. unlike the round lance of the sword-fish, the “saw” has a flat blade set on both sides with sharp teeth with considerable gaps between them. as its name and shape would imply, it is used saw-wise, principally for disembowelling fish, for upon such soft food the saw-fish is compelled to feed owing to the shape of his mouth and the insignificance of his teeth. thus it will be seen that apart from the radical differences between the two creatures, nothing being really in common between them, except that they are both fish, there is really no comparison possible between “saw” and “sword.” fortunately for the less warlike inhabitants of the deep sea, sword-fish are not numerous, there are none to cope with them or keep their322 numbers down if they were prolific. sometimes—strange companionship—they join forces with the killer whale and the thresher shark in an attack upon one of the larger whales, only avoiding instinctively that monarch of the boundless main, the cachalot.
next in size and importance among deep-sea fish, excluding sharks, about which i have said so much elsewhere that i do not propose dealing with them here, is the albacore, tunny or tuña, all of which are sub-varieties of, or local names for the same huge mackerel. they abound in every tropical sea, and are also found in certain favourable waters, such as the mediterranean and pacific coast of america. like the sword-fish their habits of breeding are unknown, since they have their home in the solitudes of the ocean. but they are one of the fish most frequently met with by seafarers, as, like several others of the same great family, they are fond of following a ship. a sailing ship that is, for the throb of the propeller, apart from the speed of the vessel, is effectual in preventing their attendance upon steamers, so that passengers by steamships have few opportunities of observing them. but in sailing vessels, gliding placidly along under the easy pressure of gentle breezes, or lying quietly waiting for the friendly wind, ample scope is given for study of their every-day life. very occasionally too, some seaman, more skilful or enterprising than his fellows, will succeed in catching one by trolling a piece of white rag or a polished spoon with a powerful hook attached. yet such is the vigour and so great is the323 size of these huge mackerel, some attaining a length of six feet and a weight of five hundred pounds, that their capture from a ship is infrequent.
in size, beauty, and importance, the “dolphin” easily claims the next place to the albacore. but an unaccountable confusion has gathered around this splendid fish on account of his popular name. the dolphin of mythological sculpture bears no resemblance either to the popularly named dolphin of the seaman and the poets, or the scientifically named dolphin of the natural histories, which is a mammal, and identical with the porpoise. one thing is certain, that no sailor will ever speak of the porpoise as a dolphin, or call coryphena hippuris anything else. of this lovely denizen of the deep sea, it is difficult to speak soberly. even the dullest of men wax enthusiastic over its glories, feeling sure that none of all beautiful created things can approach it for splendour of array. i have often tried to distinguish its different hues, watching it long and earnestly as it basked alongside in the limpid blue environment of its home. but my efforts have always been in vain, since every turn of its elegant form revealed some new combination of dazzling tints blending and brightening in such radiant loveliness that any classification of their shades was impossible. then a swift wave of the wide forked tail-fin would send the lithe body all a-quiver in a new direction, where, catching a stray sunbeam it would blaze like burnished silver reflecting the golden gleam, and the overtaxed eye must needs turn away for relief. then suddenly the marvellous creature324 would spring into activity, launching itself in long vibrant leaps through the air after its prey, a fleeting school of flying fish, that with all their winged speed could not escape the lethal jaws of their splendid pursuer. having read of the wondrously changing colours of a dying dolphin i watched with great eagerness the first one that ever i saw caught. great was my disappointment and resentment against those who had perpetrated and perpetuated such a fable. compared with the glory of the living creature, the fading hues of its vesture when dying were as lead is to gold. only by most careful watching was it possible to distinguish the changing colour schemes, faint and dim, as if with departing vitality they too were compelled to fade and die away into darkness. on the utilitarian side too the dolphin is beloved by the sailor, for its flesh is whiter and more sapid than that of any other deep-sea fish except the flying fish, which are too small and too infrequently got hold of on board ship to be taken much account of for food. yet, in spite of its wondrous speed, the dolphin, when congregated in considerable numbers, often falls a prey to the giant albacore, which hurls itself into their midst, clashing its great jaws and destroying many more than it devours.
commonest of all deep-water fish, but only found in the warm waters of the tropical seas or fairly close to their northern or southern limits is the bonito, another member of the mackerel family, but much inferior in size to the albacore. “bonito” is a spanish diminutive equivalent to beautiful, and beautiful325 the bonito certainly is, although compared with the dazzling glory of the dolphin it looks quite homely. it is a most sociable fish, keeping company with a slow-moving sailing ship for days together, and quite easily caught with a hook to which a morsel of white rag is fastened to simulate a flying fish. for its size—the largest i have ever seen being less than thirty pounds weight—its strength is incredible, as is also the quantity of warm blood it contains. on account of these two characteristics, it is usual when fishing for bonito off the end of the jibboom to take out a sack and secure it to the jib-guys with its mouth gaping wide so that the newly caught fish may be promptly dropped therein to kick and bleed in safety and cleanliness. my first bonito entailed upon me considerable discomfort. i was a lad of fourteen, and had stolen out unobserved to fish with the mate’s line, which he had left coiled on the boom. i hooked a large fish which, after a struggle, i succeeded in hauling up until i embraced him tightly with both arms. his vibrations actually shook the ship, and they continued until my whole body was quite benumbed, and i could not feel that a large patch of skin was chafed off my breast where i hugged my prize to me. and not only was i literally drenched with the fish’s blood, but the flying jib, which happened to be furled on the boom, was in a truly shocking condition likewise. nevertheless i rejoice to think that i held on to my fish and successfully bore him inboard to the cook, although i shook so with excitement and fatigue that i could scarcely keep my feet. nor was my triumph326 much discounted by the complete rope’s-ending i got the same evening, when upon hoisting the jib, its filthy condition was made manifest, and at once rightly attributed to me. the flesh of the bonito is coarse and dark, tough, and with little flavour. but still it comes as a welcome change to the worse than pauper dietary served out to crews of sailing ships generally, while the ease with which the fish may be caught, and the frequency of its companionship make it one of the most appreciated by seamen of all the denizens of the deep sea. one other virtue it possesses which makes it even more of a favourite than the dolphin, in spite of all the latter’s superior palatability—it is never poisonous, unless after exposure to the rays of the moon. dolphin have often been known to inflict severe suffering upon those eating their flesh, and no one who has ever experienced the enormously swollen head and agonizing pain consequent upon a meal off a poisonous dolphin is ever likely to think even of such a meal again without a shudder.
another exceedingly pretty fish found in all deep tropical waters is the skip-jack. smaller than the average bonito, yet in the details of its form closely resembling the great albacore, this elegant fish is less sociable than any of those mentioned in the preceding lines. therefore, it is seldom caught, although in calm weather in the doldrums thousands may often be seen making the short vertical leaps into the air from which peculiar evolution they derive their trivial name. both the bonito and the skip-jack are subject to being devoured by the albacore, whose voracity,327 swiftness, and size make him the terror of all his smaller congeners.
occasionally after a few days’ calm some delicate little fish, also belonging to the mackerel tribe—a species of caranx—will be seen huddling timorously around the rudder of a ship, as if in momentary dread of being devoured, a dread which is exceedingly well founded. the wonder is how any of them escape the ravenous jaws of the larger fish since they must find it well-nigh impossible to get away from such pursuers. they may be easily caught by a fine line and hook, and are very dainty eating. so, too, with the lovely little caranx familiar to all readers as the pilot fish. what peculiar instinct impels this beautiful tiny wanderer to attach himself to a shark is one of the mysteries of natural history, and the subject of much ignorant incredulity on the part of those who are often found ready to believe some of the most absurd travellers’ yarns. but the pilot fish and its habits deserves a whole paper to itself—it is far too interesting a subject to be dealt with in the brief space now remaining. this, too, must be said of the flying-fish, one of the most wonderful of all the inhabitants of the deep seas, yet not so important to the seaman from a utilitarian point of view, since the occasional stragglers that do fly on board ship in their blind haste to escape from their countless foes beneath, usually fall to the lot of the ship’s cat. pussy is swift to learn that the sharp “smack” against the bulwarks at night, followed by a rapid rattling flutter means a most delicious meal for her, and smart indeed must be the328 sailor who finds the hapless fish before pussy has commenced her banquet.
one more important member of the true ocean fish must be mentioned, although it also frequents many shores, and is regularly caught for market on widely separated coasts. it is the barracouta or sea-pike, a large fish of delicious flavour, much resembling the hake of our own southern coasts. as i have caught this voracious fish all over the indian ocean, i have no hesitation at including it among deep-sea fish, although perhaps many well-informed seafarers would disagree with me. but if any seaman, still pursuing his vocation, doubts my statement, let him on his next east indian voyage keep a line towing astern with a shred of crimson bunting hiding a stout hook at its end, as soon as the ship hauls to the nor’ard after rounding the cape. and i can assure him that he will have several tasty messes of fish before she crosses the line.
