484 



PISCES—SUB-CLASS IIT.—TELEOSTOMI. 



elongated and riband-like bodily form. This conformation gives them much 

 the appearance of sea-snakes ; and although they are ordin- 

 Seotion Lophoti- arily inhabitants of deep water, they are sometimes driven 

 formes. — Family to the surface. On such occasions it is highly probable that 

 Lophotidce. they are responsible for some of the alleged appearances of 

 the " sea-serpent.'' Moreover, when cast on shore, they 

 are extremely likely to be mistaken, by persons unacquainted with zoology, 

 for that mysterious monster ; and not many years ago a telegram in the 

 papers announced the discovery in Australia of a dead sea-serpent, which 

 subsequently turned out to be a gigantic stranded riband fish. Here it may 

 be well to remark that the writer by no means refuses to believe in the possi- 

 bility of the existence of " sea-serpents," but at present contents himself with 

 considering that the evidence is not yet sufficiently convincing. To return 

 to the Lophotiformes, this section, in addition to the riband-like body, is 

 characterised by the vent being situated near the hinder extremity of the 

 latter, and closely followed by the anal fin ; the dorsal fin running along al- 

 most the entire length of the body, and commencing in an enormous back- 

 wardly-curved spine, which arises from an elevated crest on the summit of 



the short head. To the pre- 

 sence of this spine, or horn, 

 the one representative of 

 the section and family {Lo- 

 photes cepedianus) owes its 

 popular name of unicorn- 

 fish. Rhinoceros-fish would, 

 however, be a better title. 

 The unicorn-fish grows to a 

 length of between five and 

 six feet, and has been taken 

 at considerable depths in 

 widely distant parts of the 

 ocean. That it is indeed a 

 fairly deep-sea monster is 

 apparent from its large eyes ; 

 but this feature indicates 

 that it is not an inhabitant 

 of the deepest abysses, 

 where ordinary visual or- 

 gans would be of no use. 

 Although we can never hope to acquire such knowledge, it would be matter 

 of extreme interest to discover the use of the enormous horn of this strange 

 fish. 



The riband-fishes differ from the LophotichT. by two characters connected 

 with the fins. In the first place, the anal is absent ; and in the second, the 

 caudal fin is either rudimental, or is so placed as not to form 

 Section Tseuii- a direct continuation of the longitudinal axis of the body, 

 formes.— Family being then directed upwards in a fan-like manner. Very 

 Trachypteridai. generally, however, this caudal appendage is lost in full- 

 grown specimens. Young riband-fishes are so totally un- 

 like their parents that no one would dream they belonged to the same group. 

 Dr. Giinther observes that such young fish, of from two to four inches in 

 length, " are not rarely met with near the surface. They possess the most 



Fig. 16.— Unicorn Fish. 



