244 NATURAL HISTORY OP AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



species, Ophidium Taylori, about a foot in length. This species occurs from San Francisco to the 

 .Santa Barbara Islands. It is rare, and ou\y brought into the market by accident. 



THE EED CUSK FAMILY (Brolulidcc). This family, which is composed of fishes belonging in 

 tlie deeper regions of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, is not represented on our Atlantic coast, 

 save by certain obscure deep-sea forms. A single species is known in California, the so-called 

 lied Cusk, Bros tnophy tin marginatus, known to the Italians of that region by the names Miistet or 

 Musteta. This fish reaches the length of eighteen inches. It has been noticed only in the. neigh- 

 borhood of San Francisco, where it occurs in waters of considerable depth. On account of its 

 bright colors, it meets with a ready sale in the San Francisco market, but is too rare to be consid- 

 ered as of any great economic importance. 



THE GRENADIER FAMILY (Macruridce). The Grenadiers, or, as the fishermen frequently call 

 them, on account of the size and shape of their eyes, "Onion-fishes," inhabit the deep parts of the 

 ocean. They arc particularly abundant in the Western Atlantic. They are occasionally eaten, 

 but are chiefly important to the fishermen on account of their habit of stealing the. bait and taking 

 possession of the hooks, which would otherwise be free for the capture of more useful fishes. The 

 largest species, and the one best known to the fishermen, is Mni-i-urim rupe.ifrix. called "Rat-tail 

 Fish" as well as "Onion fish". It is exceedingly abundant on all of our off-shove banks, attaining 

 a length of three feet and a weight of four or five pounds. 



A smaller species, Macrurus Bairdii, is found everywhere along the roast where the depth is 

 greater than eighty or ninety fathoms. It is probably an important article of food for the larger 

 fishes of these regions, such as the halibut. At least four species of this family occur on our coast, 

 all of which have been brought to light by the explorations of the United States Fish Commission 

 within the past four yeavs. 



74. THE LANT, OR SAND-EEL AMMODYTES AMERICAHUS. 



HABITS. Of all the small species of fishes occurring in the North Atlantic there is probably 

 none more important to man than the Lant Launce, as it is called in Europe, frequently also the 

 Sand-eel both in Europe and America., Tobias-fish in Germany, and Smelt in Holland. The 

 American and European species, though similar, are quite distinct forms. 



Although it is never used for food in this country, it is of great economic importance, since it 

 constitutes one of the chief articles of food for the codfish, the halibut, and other flesh-feeding 

 species, such as the bonito, bluefisli, squeteague, flounder, and mackerel, and in Europe the tnrbot. 



The Lant is a slender species, with a rounded body, the height of which is contained from 

 eleven to twelve times in its total length; the largest individuals grow to be about sixteen inches 

 long, but they are usually much smaller. They swim in immense schools at the surface, and fre- 

 quently imbed themselves in the sand, where they often remain above the low-water mark while 

 the tide is out. Why they do this is not well understood, for in their habits they are wanderers, 

 sometimes appearing in immense numbers at certain points upon the coast and disappearing as 

 rapidly as they came. With their sharp noses and slender muscular bodies they have little diffi- 

 culty in imbeddiiig themselves in the soft sand several inches deep. I shall never forget my sur- 

 prise when, many years ago, unfamiliar with the habits of this fish, which, indeed, was at that time 

 entirely unknown to me, I was digging up shells in one of the sandy beaches iu Provincetown 

 Harbor, when suddenly, as I struck my hoe into the earth, a great section of the beach became 

 alive with glancing forms of dozens of these agile little fishes. 



"On the sands of Portobello, near Edinburgh, and at other places, people take advantage of 



