654 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



MUford-on-Sea 



BEAKED SALMON 



Knoiun in Nctu Zt'aland ai the Sand-eel 



pike; the other species are known as PlKEREL. The immature pike is commonly called a 

 JacIv. 



The Arapatmas are large fresh-water fishes, confined to the tropics, their distribution being 

 practically the same as that of the Lung-fishes ; they are represented in America, Australia, 

 and Africa, but one species occurs in the East Indian Archipelago. The largest species of 

 all — which is also the largest fresh-water bony fish known — is found in the rivers of Brazil and 

 the Guianas, attaining a length of 15 feet and a weight of 400 lbs. It is highly esteemed 

 as an article of food, being salted and exported from the inland fisheries to the sea-ports. 

 The natives take it either with a rod and line, or with a bow and arrow, a line being fastened 

 to the arrow, thus con\'erting it into a harpoon. 



Four species of arapaimas are distinguished by the presence of " barbels " on the chin; 

 of these, two are Australian, one American, and one occurs in Sumatra and Borneo. Yet 

 another species is found in the Nile and the ri\'ers of West Africa. The Australian species, 

 like the large Brazilian form, are highly esteemed as food; one of these, known as the Dawson 

 River Salmon, is confined to the rivers of Queensland, the other to the rivers empt}'ing 

 into the Gulf of Carpentaria. 



The Beaked S.\lm<>N occurs in the open seas of the Cape, Japan, and Australia; but in 

 New Zealand, where it is known as the Sand-EEL, it is found in ba\'S with a sandy bottom. 



The group of fishes known as SCOI'ELIDS is one of particular interest, on account of the 

 number of remarkable forms which it contains. For the most part the}- are inhabitants of 

 the open sea, many being found onl}' at great depths. Of the latter, some apparently come 

 to the surface to feed at night, whilst others are entirely confined to the abysses of the ocean. 

 As with the members of other groups which have adopted a deep-sea habitat, certain modifications 

 of the body have become necessary in these fishes. Many of them ha\e a direct relation to the 

 absence of light, which has rendered normal eyes of little use; consequentl_\' the e\'es of these 

 fishes have become either greatly reduced or enormously enlarged, or sometimes lost altogether. 

 As a rule the large-eyed forms are those which come to the surface at night or do not live 

 beyond the reach of daylight; whilst those in which the c)'es are small or reduced live in 

 the very lowest depths, far beyond the limit of daylight. In all these forms compensation 

 for the loss of light has taken place, generally by the development of phosphorescent organs. 

 These may take the form of a number of luminous areas distributed down each side of the 

 bod)-, as in the PHOSPHORESCENT SARDINE; or of a pair of lens-like light-producing organs, 

 occupying the place of the eyes of other fishes. Another eyeless member of the group, instead 

 of developing light-producing organs, has increased the length of the rays of the paired fins 

 to an enormous extent, so that they serve as delicate feelers either for the discovery of food 

 or the detection of enemies. Many of the fishes of this group have extremely large mouths, 

 armed with a formidable array of tusk-likc teeth, between which are numerous smaller ones 



As food-fishes the majority of the Scopelids are not of much value. The species known 

 as the OUEENSLAND S.MlOl.T, shown in the adjoining photograph, is an edible species, occurring 

 off the north-west coast of Australia. Its near ally, the BUMMALOE, or BoMRAY DuCK, how- 

 ever, enjoys a cpiite exceptional notoriety. Salted and dried, it is exported in large quantities 



