THE ANGLER FAMILY 



THE fishes of this family, of which only the common angler 

 or fishing frog is British, have a very peculiar organisation. 

 They are without the great development of the tail and body 

 muscles by which the swimming powers usually expected in 

 a fish are produced, but have, on the other hand, a very great 

 development of the head, jaws, belly, and paired fins. But 

 these side-fins being used, not for swimming, but rather as flippers 

 for shuffling along the sea bottom, or for holding on to sea- 

 weeds or other objects, form blunt, fleshy limbs, not broad fan- 

 like paddles. The most characteristic feature is that the first 

 dorsal fin in these fishes is represented by a few long, separate 

 rays, the first of which is usually terminated by a flap of skin, 

 and this ray, which can be raised or lowered, is used as a lure 

 to attract other fish, which the anglers seize with their enormous 

 jaws. The capacious and elastic stomach doubtless indicates 

 that these fishes, like snakes, make a large meal at long 

 intervals, their mode of obtaining food necessarily implying 

 long periods of fasting. The gill-opening is small, and situated 

 below the base of the breast fin. The gills themselves are 

 reduced in number from the four usually present to three-and-a- 

 half, three, or even two-and-a-half. The bones at the base of 

 the breast fin are enlarged, and form a sort of arm ; the rays are 

 very short. The pelvic fins are placed on the throat in front of 

 the breast-fins, and have a similar structure. There is a second 

 dorsal and a ventral fin opposite to one another. The skin is 

 usually provided with projecting lappets or fringes which aid in 

 concealment, one chief necessity of these fishes. 



Anglers are found all over the world, and are adapted to an 

 inactive life of concealment, in three different regions, namely 

 the shallow grounds near land, the deep sea, and the surface 

 of the ocean. In the latter case they are only found among 



