168 



The Devil-fish of Jamaica. 



ticed. It does not resemble the monsters that have been de- 

 scribed as common with us — its length of tail being a peculia- 

 rity not recorded in any of the accounts of devil-fishes taken in 

 Kingston harbour. The back curves regularly, so that it looks 

 humped ; the eyes are lateral, being in the vertical wall of the 

 head, with air valves behind each eye. The tail extends im- 

 mediately from the angular dorsal fin at the extremity of the 

 trunk. The colour is dark vinaceous violet, and green about 

 the curvature of the head — the under parts are white. It will 

 be seen that the Cephaloptera Massena closely represents the 

 fish I am about to notice in all things but diminutive magni- 

 tude. 



THE DEVIL-FISH OF JAMAICA. 



1 ' The species Massena," the great fish of the Mediterra- 

 nean, says Risso, " until lately unknown to naturalists, is dusky 

 black above, and dull white beneath. The head wide, is as if 

 it had been cut straight along, and is furnished on either side 

 with what is called a horn — a prolonged part of the fin — com- 

 posed of cartilaginous rays like the pectoral. The two appen- 

 dices of the head are on their inner side of a white silvery hue, 

 with the extremities black. They display motion at will, di- 

 rected towards the object the fish desires to approach. The 

 mouth is very wide, and nearly square. The upper lip, ridged 

 with a fleshly membrane, has several ranges of teeth over- 

 spreading the upper jaw ; the lower is covered with a similar 

 set of teeth in a silver-tinted band. The iris of the eye is of 

 a dull yellow, with the pupil black. The pectoral fins are 

 triangular, with an upward curvature, and two ventral fins are 



