KiN(; OF Till-: iiKinuNCs. 



325 



fairly long, llie longest olios niciisuring- inorc tliiiii 2 cm., and entirely 

 ditterent from those of the preceding geiuis. Neither of the veiitra] 

 rays is present, but of the loft pectoral fin there reuiain the Imsal 

 parts of 13 rays. 



The distance between the base of the first dorsal ray and the 

 base of the ventral fin is 277 iiiin. 



The distance between the base of flic first dorsal ray and the 

 vent is 1,455 mm. 



The distance between the anterior end of' tlie base of the pectoral 

 fin and the base of the ventral liii is (iG mm. 



The distance between the anterior end of the base of the pectoral 

 fin and the vent is 1,.T20 nini. 



Tlie last nieasurenient suggests ihat the Ifiigth of the living 

 fish was about 38 dm. 



^«^.*J«^;f>^^ >^r*;o£i'' 



?spsftfis^^^«sos^^^ 





•35 



h 



Fig. 88. Ri;ijalecus ijlesne, portions of the skin of the specimen from 



Burholm, a: with a part of the lateral line, where it traverses one 



of the carin,-v} on the side of the body; l>: a part of the ventral 



margin. Natural size. 



The King of the Herrings li\es ifi very deep Avater, 

 its species being perhaps identical in all the oceans; 



hut of its usual manner uf life 



we 



know nothing. 



Occasionally it appears at tlie surface, and ifi the su- 

 perstitious imagination of the sailor takes the form of 

 "the great Sea-serpent.'"" H.vncock atid Embleton de- 

 scribe the capture by three fishermen from Cullercoats 

 in Northumberland, not far from Newcastle, on the 26th 

 of March, 1849, of the specimen afterwards examined 



h\- tiicsc writers. The tishermen found it about 6 miles 

 from sliiirc .ifid iti from 20 to 30 fathoms of water, 

 when tliey were leaving their lishing-station to return 

 hofiic. Wheti thev came iijioii it, tlte fish was lying at 

 full letigth on its side at the surface; I)ut at their ap- 

 [ifoacii it "righted itself, and came with a gentle, lateral, 

 ufidfilating motion towards them, showing its crest and 

 a small portiofi of the head occasionally above water: 

 wlien it came alongside, one of them struck it with his 

 ])ickct — a hook attached to th(^ etifl of a small stick, 

 afid used iff latiding their tish: uii iliis ir made off' with 

 a vigorous atid \ ertical undulating niotioti, atid disap- 



lie surface. In a 



iftidcf 



peared as (juick as lightning 



short time it reappeared at a small <li.stance, and pulling 

 up to it they found it again lying on its side: they 

 plied the picket a second tim<; and struck it a little 

 behind the head; the picket again tore through the 

 tender flesh by a violent effort of the fish, which escaped 

 once more, but with diminished vigour; on the boat 

 coming a third time alongside, the two young men put- 

 ting their arms round the tish lifted it into the boat. 

 Sigfis of life remained for some time after the iish was 

 captured, but no doubt it was in a dying or very sickly 

 state when first discovered." 



According to the account of these fishermen the 

 whole body of the tish Avas of a silvery, iridescent 

 oTound-colour, as brilliant as that of the common Her- 

 ring, but with a decided dash of l)lue. In the open air, 

 however, the colour soon fades, and the silvery gloss 

 vanishes at the slightest touch. It is also iirobable that 

 the colour of the dark brown, longitudinal stripes on 

 the lateral ridges of the body is due to injuiy. The 

 lilack transverse bands which cro.ss the .sides obliquely 

 in a downward and backward dii'ection, as well as the 

 scattered black spots, disappear .soon after death, leav- 

 ing scarcely a visible trace behind, according to Wright*, 

 after the lapse of a day or two. Eventually the tish 

 becomes darker and darker, and in the process of dry- 

 ing turns (juite black, as is the case with Lixdroth's 

 specimen iti the Roval Museum. 



We are still ignorant of the exact shape of the 

 occipital tin. Hancock and Embleton were told by 

 their informants that the rays were like peacocks feath- 

 ei'S. Naalsoe's drawing as reproduced by Lutken (1. c.) 



" The tales of the great Sea-serpent may probably be explained by a variety of different causes — tumbling dolphins, enormous 

 cuttle-fish, specimens of Selache (Basking Shark) floating and resting at the surface, or even floating wreckage. But in the cases where tlie 

 Sea-serpent appears with crest erect, the explanation seems to lie in the appearance and death-struggles of the King of the Herrings at the 

 surface of the ocean. 



'' Nat. Hist. Trans. North., Durham, vol. V (1877), p. 341. 



