Gobioidei, Discocephali, and Taeniosomi 477 



The Dealfishes: Trachypteridae. The family of Trachypterida 

 comprises the dealfishes, creatures of fantastic form and silvery 

 coloration, smaller than the oarfishes and more common, but of 

 similar habit. 



Just as in Norway the fantastic oarfish was believed to be 

 the king of the herrings and cherished as such, so among the 

 Indians of Puget Sound another freak fish is held sacred as the 

 king of the salmon. The people about Cape Flattery believe 

 that if one does any harm to this fish the salmon will at once 

 leave the shores. This fable led the naturalists who first discov- 

 ered this fish to give it its name of Trachypterus rex-salmonorum. 



In Europe a similar species (Trachypteru.* atlanticus) has 

 long been known by the name of dealfish, or vogmar, neither 

 of these names having any evident propriety. 



The dealfish is one of the most singular of all the strange 

 creatures of the sea. It reaches a length of three or four feet. 

 Its body is thin as a knife and would be transparent were it 

 not covered over with a shining white pigment which gives to 

 the animal the luster of burnished silver. On this white surface 

 is a large black blotch or two, but no other colors. The head 

 is something like that of the oarfish, to which animal the deal- 

 fish bears a close relationship. Both have small teeth and 

 neither could bite if it would, and neither wants to, for they 

 are creatures of the most inoffensive sort. On the head of the 

 dealfish, where the oarfish has its mane, is a long, streamer-like 

 fin. At the end of the tail, instead of the ordinary caudal fin, 

 is a long, slim fin which projects directly upwards at right 

 angles to the direction of the back-bone. No other fish shows 

 this strange peculiarity. 



The dealfish swims in the open sea close to the surface of 

 the water. It does not often come near shore, but it is occa- 

 sionally blown on the beach by storms. Trachypterus rex- 

 salmonorum has been recorded two or three times from Puget 

 Sound and twice from California. The finest specimen known, 

 the one from which our figure is taken, was secured off the Faral- 

 lones in 1895 by a fisherman named W. C. Knox, and by him 

 sent to Stanford University. The specimen is perfect in all its 

 parts, a condition rare with these fragile creatures, and its 

 picture gives a good idea of the mysterious king of the salmon. 



