154 Deep'Sea Chimeras 



so that while they may be pushed inward to admit of 

 the entrance of prey, they effectually prevent it from 

 coming out. This peculiarity is explained by a slight 

 examination of the creature's feeding habits. It can 

 and does swallow entire fish actually larger than itself — 

 which sounds impossible, but it is not. For the belly 

 of this atrocious gluttoa is like an india-rubber bladder 

 which may be expanded amazingly. And consequently 

 by dint of perseverance Chiasmodon can and does draw 

 himself on to the body of another fish, as it were, until 

 the visitor is snugly coiled away in that expanding 

 bag, which being transparent, shows plainly from the 

 outside the position of its occupant. 



In other respects Chiasmodon is rather an elegant 

 fish, quite normally fish-like, which one would hardly 

 expect, considering the great depths from which it 

 has been brought. The ' Challenger's ' trawl brought 

 up one in mid-Atlantic from a depth of one thousand 

 five hundred fathoms, or nine thousand feet. Another 

 specimen was brought up from a depth of three hun- 

 dred and twelve fathoms, neai Madeira. But several 

 have been found floating upon the sea-surface, having 

 succumbed to a very natural disaster considering 

 their habit of gorging, namely, they have burst ! 

 And the tissues becoming inflated with gas have 

 rapidly raised the dead mass from the immense depths 

 in which it has lived to the revealing glare of day, 

 to become the wonder and awe of us beings of the 

 surface. This extraordinary creature is one of the 

 best known and most fully described of all the abyssal 

 fish, as it is certainly one of the most wonderful. 



Two very peculiar little fish next demand notice 

 from the fact that, although very similar in size, in 

 outline, and in depth of habitat, they have in certain 

 respects the most widely marked differences imaginable. 



