SOFT-PAYED BONY FISHES log 



The small, toothless mouth is quite unsuited for the capture 

 of prey of any size, and, judging from the evidence provided 

 by the examination of stomach contents of captured specimens, 

 the food of the Opah consists mainly of small cuttlefishes, 

 crustaceans, shellfish and young fishes. 



Nothing at all is known of its breeding habits, and neither 

 the eggs nor the young stages have yet been described. The 

 eggs are probably of the buoyant type, and are perhaps shed 

 in deep water. 



The Opah is an excellent food-fish, the flesh being red, 

 tender, full of oil and of a delicate flavour, not unlike that of 

 the Tunny. 



This remarkable fish is known by a number of names, 

 among which the following may be mentioned : " sun-fish ", 

 " king-fish ", " Jerusalem Haddock ", " Mariposa ", " cravo ", 

 " San Pedro Fish ", " soho ", " glance-fish " and " gudlax ". 

 The generic name, Lampris, is derived from a Greek word 

 meaning radiant ; the specific name, lima, of course, simply 

 means " moon ". 



RIBBON-FISHES. 



(Family Trachypterid^e.) 



These fishes belong to the same Order as the Opah, and 

 their protrusible mouths are actuated by a similar mechanism. 



The body is long and very much compressed, and the 

 skin is either naked or provided with scattered spines or 

 tubercles. The eyes are large. The mouth is toothless or 

 provided with feeble teeth, which may also be present on the 

 roof of the mouth. The dorsal fin is very long, extending the 

 whole length of the back, and is supported by many flexible 

 rays, of which the first is sometimes rather stiff and spine-like ; 

 the front part of the fin often forms a high lobe or crest, and 

 may be more or less detached from the remainder. There is 

 no anal fin. The caudal fin is either absent altogether, or is 

 placed out of line with the rest of the body. The pectoral 

 fins are small and their bases are set horizontally on the body. 

 The pelvic fins are close together and never have more than 9 

 supporting rays. There is no air-bladder. The skeleton contains 

 very little limy matter, all the bones being thin and fragile. 



