164 The Under-Water World 



harmless the fish, we are told, were 

 dispatched with spears. 



The electric ray or torpedo, a fish 

 tolerably common off our southern coast, 

 gives a powerful shock when touched. 

 As late as Elizabeth's reign it was recom- 

 mended as a certain cure for rheumatism, 

 the patient being stood bare-footed upon 

 a ray. 



A number of fish are supplied with a 

 gill chamber that retains a supply of 

 water and thus enables them to wander 

 about on land. 



The little oriental walking or jumping 

 fish will not only snap at luckless insects 

 that chance to fall upon the surface of 

 the water, but will stealthily shuffle 

 ashore to obtain his meals. Lying prone 

 upon the mud bank he will patiently 

 wait until some unsuspecting fly comes 

 within range. The mud-skipper, as the 

 fish is sometimes called, is a grotesque 

 creature with breast fins that are nearly 



