Fishes observed at Nice, 1865. 245 



general appearance, is full of brownish -coloured ova during 

 the summer months. 



The Chimasra and Alepocephalus are good examples of 

 those fishes which, inhabit the deeper parts of the sea — that is, 

 from two to three thousand feet ; and how much deeper than 

 this any kind of vertebral fishes are capable of living is very- 

 doubtful. And of those fishes which are known to live in very 

 deep water, it may be observed that their eyes are dispro- 

 portionately large and prominent — an adaptation of the organs 

 of sight made by the all- wise Creator, by which the creatures 

 are enabled more effectually to collect the diminished power of 

 the rays of light at so great a depth, of water, and are thus 

 made capable of seeking their food and the enjoyment of life 

 in their appointed abode. The skin, too, is thin and soft, and 

 the scales loosely adherent, and the colours with, which they 

 are adorned are far less brilliant, more clouded, and their 

 marking is not as distinctly defined as in those fishes which, 

 inhabit the shallower parts of the ocean, where the sea-weeds 

 and corals, etc., abound, and where the power of the sun's 

 illuminating rays are more potent, as is found to be the case 

 in the Julia, the Labias, the Crenila bras, etc. The flesh of 

 these deep-sea fishes is also softer, more gelatinous, and much 

 sooner decomposes after death, than that of most other fishes. 



The difference in the structure of these two fishes is very 

 remarkable, and worthy the attentive consideration of the 

 student of nature's works. The Chimaera, with its obtuse, 

 fleshy snout, has its mouth placed underneath and behind it, 

 and the slit-like opening to the gills before the pectoral fins 

 allies it to the shark tribe, and its peculiar shaped head, bony, 

 plate-like teeth and palate, shows that its food is that of some 

 hard substance, or it would not be furnished with such power- 

 ful organs to crush it ; and we find that it lives on crustaceous 

 or molluscous animals, that have hard shells or bony coverings. 

 The Alepocephalus has the ordinary form of abdominal fishes, 

 and its mouth is furnished with rows of small, fine, slender, 

 pointed teeth, showing that its food is of a soft substance, and 

 which is not protected by any hard or bony covering. 



