CHAPTER LXV 

 ORDER OF THE CHIMERAS 



CHIMAEROIDEI 



THE Chimeras are introduced for the purpose of making 

 our series of fish Orders reasonably complete, and not 

 because of anticipated personal acquaintance with them. 

 For fifteen or twenty years one may live on the Atlantic 

 coast, frequent its fish-markets, and fish occasionally at first 

 hand, without once seeing either a live Chimera or one 

 freshly caught. They inhabit blue water only, have no com- 

 mercial value save as scientific specimens, and in our Atlantic 

 waters are rarely caught elsewhere than on the offshore fish- 

 ing-banks of New England. 



As a natural result of these conditions, the shark-like 

 chimaeroids are the least known of all the fishes that inhabit 

 our shore waters. Indeed, there are several species of deep- 

 sea fishes that are much more common in fish collections than 

 they appear to be elsewhere. One species, however, of the 

 Pacific coast, has been studied by Dr. Bashford Dean, and it 

 will be set forth on the strength of his description.^ 



The Spotted Chimera,^ figured herewith, is said to be 

 extremely abundant just off the borders of the submerged 

 plateau that extends all along the northwest coast of the 



' "P^ishes, Living and Fossil," Columbia University Biological Series, page 100. 

 ^ Chi-me'ra col'le-i. 



306 



