four feet in length; one of those grotesqueries of 

 the deeper waters, wherein it would seem that 

 Nature had for once overreached itself in attempt- 

 ing to produce the odd or unusual. The aspect of 

 this creature bordered on the horrible. Its head, of 

 enormous proportions, was little more than a huge 

 mouth. In fact, the fish seemed at first sight to be 

 all mouth — the belly and remainder of the body 

 appearing as a mere appendage. Both jaws were 

 lined with rows of long pointed teeth, exquisitely 

 sharp and inclined backward. Absolutely nothing 

 could escape serious mutilation when once caught 

 in the labyrinth of that terrible maw. Another 

 striking, if less terrifying, structural feature was 

 the modification of the dorsal fin, which was pro- 

 duced into three long separated filaments along 

 the middle of the head. The first, or forward, of 

 these was the longest (about twelve inches) , and 

 it terminated in a leaf-like organ which was prob- 

 ably some sort of a lure wherewith the angler en- 

 ticed its prey, or, what was more probable still, a 

 tactile organ to detect the presence of its living 

 food — such as it certainly would have been re- 

 quired to do in the dark depths which it obviously 

 haunted. 



