84: DEVIL FISHING. 



"What is liere said may at least afford matter of 

 speculation to the students of natural history, 

 should any such honor these pages with a perusal. 



But it will be interesting to the sportsman, as 

 well as to the naturalist, to know what is the 

 ordinary food of the devil-fish. I have frequently 

 examined the contents of their stomachs, and found 

 little else in them than portions of shell-fish, highly 

 triturated, resembling the shells of shrimps. Once 

 a small crab was found entire ; but I sought in vain 

 for the scales of small fish, which I supposed to be 

 their food, partly because the devil-fish make their 

 appearance in our waters in May, before the 

 shrimps are' found on our shores, and would thus 

 be anticipating their food a mistake which fish 

 are not apt to make and partly because I wit- 

 nessed a performance on the part of a devil-fish, 

 which could scarcely be referred to anything else 

 but to an occasional indulgence in a fish diet. 



I was watching a devil-fish, who was playing 

 close to the shore. But in" shallow water he is 

 often alarmed by the noise of the oars, and he 

 would not suffer my approach within striking dis- 

 tance. "While thus engaged, I observed a shoal of 

 small mullets swimming near the surface, and 

 showing signs of extraordinary agitation, when 

 suddenly the open mouth of the devil-fish was pro- 



