Pish, 



a long slender tail. The latter bears a strung spine which can mllict 

 terrible wounds and is considered poisonous by fishermen. They bring 

 forth living young ones. 



We have now reached the Bony Fishes, possessing all a bony ske- 

 leton and gill-covers , and here . too , we will start with those living at 

 the bottom of the sea, where they pass their life hidden in the sand or. 

 mud, lyiug in wait for their prey. They swim about in a VQiy clumsy 

 way. They will be chiefly found in tank Nr. 24. The Star-gazer. Urano- 

 SCOpUS i Fig. 149) , is an ugly brown fish with a large thick head and 

 a body tapering off behind like a wedge. The small eyes are placed on 

 the top of the head , hence its name , and the wide mouth is bent up- 

 wards. It generally lies buried in the sand and there often practises 

 an ingenious stratagem. It protrudes from its mouth a long worm-like 

 filament , which grows on its lower jaw , and lets it move about in the 

 water. This allures fishes, which are anxious to catch what they suppose 

 to be a worm , but are suddenly gulped in by the Uranoscopus. When 

 disturbed from its sandy retreat , it swims about for a short time , but 

 soon falls to the ground and with its shovel-like fins burrows into the 

 sand again. It is very common in the Bay and is often seen on the 

 market. 



The Weever or Sting-fish . Trachinus (Fig. 150) , is somewhat 

 similar. It is small and slender and has bright shining eyes. When 

 freshly caught and placed in the Aquarium, it soon drops to the bottom 

 of the tauk and buries itself up to the eyes in the sand. When fed, it 

 darts rapidly out of its hiding place and snaps up the food , before it 

 has fallen to the ground. At the same time (and also when angered) it 

 erects its dorsal fins, the foremost of which has very sharp and poiso- 

 nous spines. The wounds they can inflict are very dangerous, as they 

 o ften cause violent inflammation. 



The Fishing-frog or Angler-fish . Lophius (Fig. 58), is especially 

 well provided with the means of attracting its prey. It is probably the 

 most hideous monster among the fishes of the Mediterranean. The enor- 

 mous flat head occupies almost three quarters of the body . and the 

 wide mouth is provided with rows of murderous-looking teeth. The mud- 

 coloured monster lies half-buried at the bottom of the tank and gazes 

 upwards with its large expressionless eyes . while the small lappets and 

 outgrowths of its lower jaw are moved about at each breath it takes. 

 From time to time it raises the fin-rays of its head as a bait and lets 

 their lappets move about. Thus it is a Compleat Angler with rods 

 and bait and always ready to engulf with its gigantic mouth the small 

 fry which the bait attracts. It lives in the mud in medium depths and 

 often attains an enormous size. Unfortunately it does not last long in 

 the Aquarium , as it cannot be made to take any food ; visitors will 

 therefore only rarely find it (tank No 10). Young specimens and also 

 another much smaller species are placed in tank -24. 



In the same tank fNo. 24) will be found the Soles. The Flat Fishes 

 or Pleurouectid.H to which these belong, form a qmV distinct group of 



