WHIRLPOOLS 



traordinary fishes in the Charybdis waters. It has a face 

 far more frightening than any tiger's, with staring eyes 

 and a great gaping mouth which has long fangs resemb- 

 hng stalactites and stalagmites rather than teeth. These 

 are incredibly sharp, yet they bend under pressure. 

 Within the fish's cavern-like mouth are light organs 

 which create luminous patches inside the fearsome jaws. 

 Darting here and there among the smaller creatures of 

 the Charybdis, this sabre-toothed viper-fish, although 

 only fourteen inches in length, is a monster by com- 

 parison with other creatures. 



Some of the shrimps and prawns tossed about in the 

 Strait are among the opportunists — never do they 

 attempt to go against the prevailing stream. They flaunt 

 a variety of colours — vivid shades of all kinds, including 

 purple and flaming red. Many of them can change their 

 colours very rapidly, in fact they are adepts at adapta- 

 tion. The chromatophores which enable them to make 

 their instantaneous colour-changes are wonderful de- 

 vices. They fulfil their purpose by expanding and con- 

 tracting — the contractions concentrate pigment at the 

 middle of the cell : the expansions disperse it again. 



The colour-changing devices of such land creatures as 

 the chameleon act much more slowly. These, like those 

 of the shrimps and prawns of the Charybdis, are also 

 accomplished at the will of the animals, but the processes 

 are quite diflferent. The outer portion of the chameleon's 

 skin or epidermis is transparent, and is underlaid by a 

 system of cells filled with granules and oil-drops which 

 appear white or yellow. Beneath these again are large 

 irregular chromatophores filled with black and red 

 pigment granules. The entire mechanism is under 

 the control of the chameleon's nervous system and is 

 much more complicated than this explanation might 

 suggest. 



Wonderfully efficient though it is, the chameleon 

 cannot change colour quickly — it requires a little time 



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