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78 CHAPTERS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY 



ing from beneath its lower jaw. Its free end is tufted. Now, 

 small fish are both attracted by. this freely moving little bait, as 

 well as by the beautiful light emitted by the " torch," and dart- 

 ing after the former by the aid of the latter they very freqently 

 land in the capacious mouth of their allurer, who quickly devours 

 them. The physiology of this phosphorescent organ is, as yet, 

 not fully understood. 



Very large eyes sometimes characterize certain species of these 

 curious beings, and, as I have said above, sometimes the eyes 

 are absent, or so small as to be detected only after careful search 

 with the microscopic lens. This is the case with the little deep- 

 sea fish form known as the " Blind Angler " (Mancalias shufeldti), 

 described in 1883 by the eminent ichthyologist, Dr. Theo. Gill, of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, and obtained at 2,400 fathoms by 

 the United States Fish Commission Steamer Albatross. In re- 

 marking upon the species, Dr. Gill has said, " they have a real 

 fishing rod, and three of the types have a notable one. The rod 

 is represented by the first spine of ordinary fishes, which is situ- 

 ated on the back part of the head; it is long and borne aloft, and 

 in the typical species rod and line are developed. The rod is 

 represented by the basil joint, and the line by the distal one; the 

 rod is stiffened, but the line quite flexible, and at its end there is 

 a bait in the form of a bulb, whch is generally more or less pyri- 

 form in outline. The fish doubtless lies on the ground, carrying 

 the rod curved over its head, and other fishes are attracted by the 

 bulb, which may be moved to and fro; when the incautious in- 

 quirer approaches near enough the angler rises upward and en- 

 gulfs him in his capacious maw. The mouth, be it observed, 

 opens upward, and even to a slight extent backward, and is thus 

 eminently adapted for its angling life." 



This genus of fishes belongs to the Ceratiids, and are related to 

 another group also known as " Anglers," of which the very well- 

 known and large-sized u Goose Fish " belongs (Lopliius piwu- 

 Inr'uiK (Lopliiids). 



M<inciiH<iK was first obtained by the Challenger expedition, 

 near the Cape Verde Islands in 2,400 fathoms of water. This was 

 M. uranoscopus, the type of the genus; the specimen, 3J inches 

 long, is now in the British Museum. M. slnifcldti, originally de- 

 scribed as TypJtiopsara* shufeldti, was subsequently referred to 

 this genus. 



We now have out a very fine work on all the deep-sea fishes. 



