ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



"The bushes round the 

 camp (at the village at Ata- 

 bo on the coast) contained 

 large numbers of an im- 

 mense spider ; I do not 

 know its name, but it is well 

 known in other parts of 

 New Guinea. They have 

 soft balloon-like bodies, and 

 spin a web of great strength. 

 It has been commonly stated 

 that these webs are utilized 

 by the natives as fishing- 

 nets, and that large fish are 

 secured, but I am afraid 

 that this is an unsubstanti- 

 ated yarn. Nevertheless, it 

 is a fact that the children 

 do take the webs off entire 

 by slipping a ring of cane 

 below, and that in them they 

 will carry fish the size of 

 sprats." 



THE SARGASSUM FISH. 



Called Marbled Angler and Toadfish. 

 Pteroph nine histrio. 



By L. L. Mowbray 



THIS fish, without doubt, is one of the most 

 interesting and curious of fishes, and can 

 lie classed as a true subject of Aeolus, for 

 it has no definite line of migration, is purely 

 pelagic, and is dependent upon the course of 

 drift of the sargassum weed. It is most abun- 

 dant in tropical and sub-tropical seas, but has 

 been taken on the coast of Norway. 



When it leaves the Strait of Florida and is 

 cast into the Atlantic clinging to the air vesicles 

 of a floating mass of sargassum — that may 

 measure anywhere from the size of a man's hat 

 to several miles in length and breadth — it is at 

 the mercy of the winds and currents. The 

 strong west and northwest winds drive large 

 beds of the weed easterly out of the Gulf Stream 

 off (ape Hatteras and between the latitudes of 

 20° and 40° north, where there is almost al- 

 ways an abundance of weed to be found. 



The little fish makes these floating beds of 

 weed its whole world. Its color matches that of 

 the weed, it feeds on the many forms of Crusta- 

 cea that live in the weed — principally shrimp, 

 and there it builds its nest, fastening its eggs to 

 the fronds by silk-like threads. 



THE SARGASSUM FISH 

 Sometimes called Marbled Antler ami To 



Peter O'Phrvne. as the fish is jokingly called 

 by naturalists, is almost helpless without a mass 

 of weed to cling to. being a very poor swimmer 

 and dependent upon its hand-like pectorals for 

 grasping and for darting at its prey. Holding 

 fast to the weed, it dangles its little fishing rod, 

 that nature has so cleverly set over its gaping 

 mouth and whose quivering movement attracts 

 passing animals. As they attempt to nibble at 

 the natural bait the rod is thrown back and the 

 fisher strikes with lightning speed. 



If the Sargassum fish is placed in a jar of 

 water, it will settle to the bottom, resting on 

 ventral and pectoral fins. In this position the 

 pectorals are turned forward. The fish changes 

 its position only occasionally, resting for hours 

 at a time, motionless. If fishing is not good in 

 one direction, it will turn around and fish as 

 long facing the other way. 



When a shrimp is dropped into the jar with 

 the fish it will start quivering its bait. There 

 seems to be something magnetic about it, as it 

 does not take long to get the shrimp interested. 



I have taken hundreds of these fish in the 

 course of many years' collecting in the Bermuda 

 Islands. In size one finds them ranging from 

 three-quarters of an inch to four and a half 

 inches in length, the average size being from 

 two to three inches. 



Like other anglers, they lose their bait at 

 times, or have their fishing rod broken, and it is 

 by no means rare to find one with the bait miss- 

 ing from the end of its rod. or the rod broken 

 off at various lengths. 



