THE LUVARUS FISH. .7. 



siding at Manly (Port Jackson).* The "spear" -measuring 

 more than 2 feet and also a photograph of this specimen 

 are now in the collection of the New South Wales Depart- 

 ment of Fisheries. The whole fish measured about 12 feet. 

 Some years ago (1880) a specimen of the same species was 

 captured about 6 miles south of Wollongong, N.S.W., by a 

 party out for Snapper. They had found that many of the 

 fishes hooked, were taken off the lines ; and soon after a 

 large Spearfish in pursuit of a Snapper, became entangled 

 in the anchor-line, which had become twisted round its 

 snout ; thereby enabling one of the party to successfully 

 harpoon it. The animal towed the boat for several miles 

 and then, becoming exhausted, was towed ashore. Shortly 

 after being harpooned, it disgorged a number of Snapper; 

 this being regarded as evidence that it had been the culprit. 

 During the fight it leaped several feet out of the water. 

 This example measured about 14 feet. 



THE LUVARUS FISH- 



( Family : Liivaridce, ) 



THE sole representative of this family Luvarus imperialis 

 is one of those fishes which are rarely seen and about the 

 habits of which, consequently, very little is known. Boulen- 

 ger points out that : "The excessive length of the intestines 

 and the feeble dentition point to its feeding partly on vege- 

 table matter, partly on minute animals ; the circumstances 

 under which certain specimens were captured tend to indi- 

 cate that they follow up streams of pelagic life such as 

 engage the attention of the Basking Shark, of similar dis- 

 tribution." Pelagic in nature, it is known to occur in 

 the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 



* Mr. Skinner informs me that about 3 months after the capture of 

 this fish another one of about the same size was seen cruising about in 

 i he same locality. 



