144 



SCAXDIXAVIAX FISIIKS. 



like other fishes of great voracity, also swallows what- 

 e\ei- comes in its wa^-, however liard of digestion it 

 inaA- be; but its food seems really to consist of Rays, 

 (nirnards and other bottom-fishes. In some places it 

 is believed to have a great liking for the fiesh of the 

 Shark, and the fishermen therefore consider that it does 

 iiood, and set it again at liberty, if they catch it. 

 That it is not deserving of this reputation is, however, 

 shown by the fact that among the fishes found in its 

 stomach have been Herrings and Mackerel in scores. 

 Its way of life being of this nature the Angler is 

 probably of solitai'A' habits: as far as we know, at least, 

 it has not been met with in any large number at one 

 spot. The smaller specimens, from 2 to 3 feet in length, 

 are found in water not more than from 1 5 to 1 S fa- 

 thoms deep, and sometimes so near shore that they 

 are left dry at ebb tide; the larger specimens are occa- 

 sionally taken at a considerable depth, from 100 to 

 300 fathoms, but according to Agassiz they also move 

 into the hiorher regions of the ocean in summer during 

 the spawning-season. The Angler has a geographical 

 range which includes the Mediterranean and the Black 

 Sea (Nordmann), and extends throughout the basin of 

 the Atlantic from the Cape of Good Hope (Lophius 

 vomenniis, Valexcienxes, 1. c.) to Varanger Fjord 

 (Collett) and Iceland (Fabek), as well as along the 

 American coast, north of North Carolina at least (Jordax 

 and Gilhert); but in Greenland it has never been 

 found. It does not penetrate far into the Baltic, in the 



Sound scarcely farther north than Hven (NiLSSOx and 

 LiLLJEBORr;). l>ut oft' the east coast of Schleswig-Holstein 

 it has been caught fairly often (MoBics and Heixcke). 

 In Bohusliin the Angler, says Maem, "is not so rare as 

 would generally seem to be the case, partly because 

 the fisherman regards it with hatred when it is acci- 

 dentally taken in the net set for other fishes, and partly 

 because it is so feared by many that the tackle is cut 

 as soon as the "monster" reaches the surface; and its 

 captor hurries home in oi'der to get there, if possible, 

 before the misfortune portended Ini the monster overtakes 

 ]iim." NiLS-sox too, writes of the fishermen on the banks: 

 "Among other things they believe that on board the 

 vessel on which an Angler is taken, someone is feg", 

 i. e. doomed to die soon. They, therefore, never or 

 hardly ever take the Angler on board, but prefer to 

 cut the line and thus lose the hook with the fish. 

 Sometimes, when they have drawn it up to the surface, 

 and \vhen its wide mouth is open, they cast a stone, 

 the largest a man can lift, into its throat, and thus 

 sink it to the bottom." It is, therefore, seldom that 

 the Angler is made use of in any way, though its 

 flavour is said to be far from bad. 



Lixx.Eus called the Angler hafs-padda (:= Sea-toad, 

 Skdnska resaii, p. 3"27) and grodqvabba (—Frog-fish, 

 3Ius. Ad. Fr.). According to Ekstrom and Malm the 

 most common name for the species in Bohuslan is meridk 

 (Sea-cottus); according to Cederstrom and Malm it is 

 called hafidk {liof = mer) in the north of Bohuslan. 



Gexus. antennarius. 



Head middle-sized, and, tike the Imdy, lateral! ;/ eompressed: month more or less perpendicular, middle-sized, or fairh/ 

 large. Bones of the head a-itlioat spines. Body naked or with sparse, granular papillce or pointed spines, and most 

 often ivith dermal fringes. Lower jaw, intermaxiUary bones, palatine bones and the head of the vomer, as tvell as the 

 upper and loner phary)tgeals, furnished with cardiform teeth. Eyes set laterally. In the first dorsal fin three rays, 

 till' frst tn-o on the snout {in front of the eyes), the third on the front behind the eyes: the first tentacular with foliate 

 tip and set just in front of tlie base <f the second, the last two strong, spiinous rays, n-ith a more or less developed, 

 thick fin-membrane behind them. Second dors(d fin considerably longer than the anal. Four gills: but the fourth 

 branchial ardi u-ith no gilt-slit Ijehind it, and the first u-itli branchial lamelUc only on its inferior part. Gill-rakers 

 only slightly developed, verrucose. The gilt-openings resemble comparatively small holes in the lower corner of the 

 axil. Basal bones of the pectoral fins thrre. Ventral fins perfect. No pyloric appoidages. Air-bladder present. 

 Bays of the caudal fin '.). Bosttemporal bone free, and articulating u-ith the mastoid bone. 



The compressed form of the Antennarii (Linn^us) 

 causes the; characters of the Bediculati to appear here 

 in a singular manner. Those of these fishes that creep 



" Scotch 'fey'. Sw. fey properly = cowardly. Tr. 



among seaweed and coral, look like straTige quadrupeds, 

 the ventral fins taking the place of the forelegs, and the 

 geniculate, pectoral fins that of the hind legs. Though 



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