?82 



Marvels of the Universe 



this case, as a specimen was brought up bj' a trawl from the Fish Hawk in two hundred and 

 tift3'-two fathoms off Newport, which was chnging by its long jaws to the outside of the net. The 

 largest specimen 3'et found was brought up from a depth of one thousand eight hundred and 

 eighty-eight fathoms, and measured six hundred and fifty millimetres, or, roughly, twenty-five 

 inches in length. But again, in measurements of queer fish dredged from great depths, it must 

 always be remembered that, owing to the necessarily small size of the trawl, the possibility of 

 securing any but the smallest and feeblest specimens is very small. 



A sack-throated fish with a whip-like tail " is a very free translation of the scientific name of 

 our next subject, which is one of the most paradoxical creatures of all that perverse population. 



A side view of this extraordinar; 



fish 



THE 5Ae.k- 1 IIKUA 1 L.D W lill-^1 AIL. 



shov 



[Bii A. Ttcidle. 



is shown in the opposite plate. Here the view s from above. It is one of the most 

 paradoxical creatures of all the deep-sea population. Its principal characteristic is an astounding gluttony. Its entire length 

 is over six feet. 



Its principal characteristic may be inferred from its appearance — an astounding gluttony. Only 

 five specimens have been taken, three of which were choked by attempting to swallow fish many 

 times larger than themselves. These three were found on the surface ; another specimen was taken 

 in nine hundred fathoms. The largest individual had a body twenty and a tail fifty-eight inches 

 long. 



The Angel Fish must be passed over promptly, as it evidently, in spite of its extraordinary 

 appearance, belongs to a surface-frequenting species, and, moreover, only one specimen seems to 

 have been taken, four inches long. 



Why our next specimen should have been provided with such an amazing suit of protective 

 armour is another of the mysteries of ocean. It does not appear to have any value, yet judging from 

 the character of its spines, conical flinty protuberances covering the whole of its body, each of which 



