450 



YERTEBRATA. 



^^ 



inji tisli wliifh ^ll..^vs imuli ciniiiiiijr : it I'u's close to the ground, muddles the water so as to 

 coiii-enl itsi-lf, ami thru vil>i;»tfs the hoiiy lilanient which stands erect on its head. The fishes 

 sec the shininir tip. and thinking it something good to eat, advance upon it, and arc seized 

 hv the artful fisherman lieneatii. On account of this stratagem this fish is called the Amilcr. 

 It's monstro)is ajipearance has also given it the titles of Sea-Devil^ J3i'llows-Fi.sh, Goosc-Finh, 

 Monk-Fish, \c. It is not eaten, but when it iKippens to be captured by fishermen it is preserved 



for the various fishes 

 usually found in its ca- 

 pacious stomach. It 

 is found in European 

 and American waters. 



Genus CIIIRONEC- 

 TES: Chironectcs.—Ho 

 tliis belong nearly thirty 

 species of small fishes, 

 of which the Gibbous 

 Mouse-Fish, C. ffibbus, 

 is an American ex- 

 am}>lc. It is two inches 

 long ; color pale brown ; 

 common on the Ameri- 

 can coast. The C. his- 

 trlo is a larger species, 

 found in Brazil. On 

 the northern coasts of 



Australia, there are fishes of this genus, so abundant and so lively in jumping out of the water, 

 that they have been mistaken for flocks of birds. 



Genus BATRACIIUS: Batrachus. — This includes the Common Toad-Fish, B. iau, six to 

 twelve inches long; has an enormous head; usually lies half buried in the mud, where it either 

 silentlv sucks in small marine animals, or seizes upon such as may incautiously come within its 

 reach; common on our coasts from Maine to Mexico. Its flesh is little prized, but if skillfully 



cooked is very good. Another species 

 in our waters is the TVo-spined Toad- 

 Fish, B. celatus. 



Genus M ALTERA: Malthcea.— 

 This includes the Short-nosed Mal- 

 THEA, M. nasuta, six to seven inches 

 long. The body is compressed in 

 front, and tapering and compressed 

 from behind the pectorals. The head 

 is prominent and apparently elevated 

 above the jaws. The surface is cov- 

 ered with scaly discs ; eyes lateral, 

 large, and circular ; mouth protractile, 

 with minute card-like teeth on the 



THE CHIRONECTES HISTRIO. 





£|#^:.>'^fifc<i^<2: 







^iS'J^^ 



jaws: 



color dull brown. It is a rare 



THE EAT SIALTITEA. 



species, having a range from Labrador 

 to the Caribbean Sea. Little is known 

 of its habits. The Dotted Malthea, M. notata, is three and a half inches long ; found on the 

 American coasts. The Bat Malthea, Af. vespertilio, is ten to eighteen inches long, pale grayish- 

 brown, snout elongated into a point ; skin like shagreen, with long scattering tubercles. It is 

 common in the Caribbean Sea, and is found as far north as Newfoundland. There are several 

 other species known near the Bahama Islands. 



