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Fislies. 



Fishes, the only vertebrates (with the exception of the tor- 

 toises) that we have in the Aquarium , are distinguished by 

 such well-known characteristics , that , notwithstanding the 

 variety of their shape, they will hardly ever be mistaken for 

 members of any of the other large divisions of the animal 

 kingdom. Neither the mollusks and crabs , nor the worms . 

 sea-urchins, or corals, have forms resembling those of fishes, 

 and. having remarked that the falsely so-called inlcfish sepias, 

 calmars and such like -are not fish, but mollusks; and that the 

 snake-like eels, flat soles and roaches, are true fishes, we think 

 that we have resolved all doubt as to what is a fish and what 

 not, for all other examples are at once recognised. 



As the fishes in the Aquarium, like the other animals, are 

 not arranged in systematic sequence, but according to biological 

 principles , in which similarity of habits and habitat are the 

 chief things regarded, so as to offer to the animal in confine- 

 ment environments as natural as possible; we think that we 

 ought to adhere to the same arrangement in our descriptions. 

 We begin, therefore keeping separate the two large divisions 

 of the bony and the cartilaginous fishes with those of the bony 

 fishes that pass their lives at the bottom of the sea , where 

 they lie in ambush for their prey, half buried in the mud or 

 sand, and very seldom, and that awkwardly, swim about. We 

 include these fishes under the head of ground-fish. To these 

 belong : The Star-gazer (Uranoscopus scaber) , an ugly , 

 muddy-brown fish, with a thick clumsy head and wedge-shaped 

 body diminishing towards the tail. Its small dull eyes are pla- 

 ced far back on the skull , and like the bow-shaped mouth, 

 turned upwards. It lies almost always buried up to the head 

 in the sand , and amuses the hours of patient waiting by a 

 peculiar sort of game. That is, it protrudes and waves about a 

 long worm-like ribband or tongue which grows within its lower 

 jaw. This strategem decoys the little fish playing near, who, 

 trying to catch what they believe to be a worm, are pounced 

 upon and seized by the greedy Star-gazer. When this fish 

 is disturbed it swims about and moves its broad caudal fins 

 like a pendulum, at the same time frequently putting out its 

 tongue. In a few minutes it falls plump to the ground ; and 

 immediatly buries itself in the sand by the shovelling movements 

 of its pectoral fins. It pursues the same manner of life in its 



