330 



THE STAKGAZER. 



Mr. Bennett, who seems to have discovered this curious creature, writes as follows 

 respecting its appearance : 



" Though the discovery of these (luminous) medusae was a satisfactory explanation of 

 the phosphorescent appearance of the water, I had yet to learn that the latter effect was 

 partly produced by living, bony, and perfectly organized fish. Such fish were numerous 

 in the sea this night, and a tow-net captured ten of them in the space of a few hours. 

 They were a species of Scopelus, three inches in length, covered with scales of a steel-grey 

 colour, and the fins spotted with grey. Each side of the margin of the abdomen was 

 occupied by a single row of small and circular depressions of the same metallic grey hue 

 as the scales, a few similar depressions being also scattered on the sides, but with less 

 regularity. 



The examples we obtained were alive when taken from the net, and swam actively 

 upon being placed in a vessel of sea-water. When handled, or swimming, they emitted a 

 vivid phosphorescent light^from the scales or plates covering the body and head, as well as 

 from the circular depressions on the abdomen and sides, and which presented the appearance 

 of so many small stars spangling the surface of the skin. The luminous gleam (which had 

 sometimes an intermittent or twinkling character, and at others shone steadily for several 

 minutes together) entirely disappeared after the death of the fish. In two specimens we 

 examined, the contents of the stomach were small shrimps." 



The head of this fish is large and blunt, the eyes are remarkably large, and of a silvery 

 whiteness. The scales are very loose, and fall off with the least touch. 



8TAKGAZEB. AnaJbUps tetrophthalmus. 



THE fish which is represented in the accompanying illustration may fairly take rank 

 as one of the oddities of the finny race. 



Flat headed, round bodied, and strong scaled, with projecting eyes of most remarkable 

 formation, the STARGAZER has long attracted the attention of naturalists, and given the 

 anatomical investigator much trouble in unravelling the intricate mechanism of its eyes. 

 At a first glance, the fish appears to possess four distinct eyes, each of these organs being 

 divided across the middle, and apparently separated into two distinct portions. In fact, an 

 opaque band runs transversely across the cornea of the eye, and the iris, or coloured portion, 

 sends out two processes which meet each other under the transverse band of the cornea, 

 so that the fish appears to possess even a double pupil. Still, on closer investigation, the 

 connexion between the divisions of the pupil are apparent, and can readily be seen in the 



