30 



A HISTORY OF FISHES 



habitually devour its younger or weaker brethren. Trout are 

 not above eating their own young, but, as a general rule, a 

 fish may be said to be safe from the members of its own species. 

 The Coal-fish {Gadus virens) has been observed to feed on the 

 fry of the Cod, a closely related species. According to Professor 

 Sars, "they surround the fry on all sides, and by drawing the 

 circle closer and closer they drive them into a dense mass, 

 which they then proceed by a sudden manoeuvre to chase 

 upwards towards the surface." The wretched fry then find 

 themselves attacked from above and below by the voracious 

 Coal-fishes and by hordes of screaming sea birds. 

 Another fish which is renowned for its ferocity is the Caribe 



Fig- 55. CARNIVOROUS FISHES. 



a. Cynodon scomberoides,Xl ; h. Chauliodus sloanei,X\ \ c. Blue - fish 

 {Pomatomus saltatrix), X i ; d. Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), x i. 



or Piraya (Serrasalmus) of the rivers of South America, a truly 

 ugly-looking creature with a deep, blunt head with remarkably 

 short and powerful jaws, armed with sharp cutting teeth 

 (Fig. 56c). They are encountered in swarms, and are able to 

 cut off a mouthful of flesh as cleanly as with a pair of scissors. 

 Their normal diet consists of smaller fishes, but any animal 

 unlucky enough to fall into the water where they abound is 

 immediately attacked and cut to pieces in an incredibly short 

 time, the smell of blood attracting them in their hundreds. 

 Human beings bathing or wading in the rivers have been 

 attacked and severely bitten or even killed by these ferocious 

 pests, and a case is on record in which a man and his horse who 

 fell into the water were subsequently discovered with all the 



