Kicg. 1.— NEOSTOMA BATHYPHILUM. 
in his report, the capture of one of these creatures 
‘was considered really an event.’ During the cruise 
of the Talisman, thanks to that new invention, the 
trawl, they were taken more frequently. Almost all 
the dredgings resulted in the capture of some fish, 
and sometimes the number brought up was surpris- 
ing. For instance: on the 29th of July, in latitude 16° 
52’, longitude 27° 30’, in one drag of the trawl, 1,031 
fishes were taken, at a depth of 450 metres. 
The most interesting surface fishes taken were a 
large shark, and a fish of small size peculiar to the 
Sargasso Sea, Antennarius marmoratus bl. Sch. 
Sharks (Carcharias glaucus) were found especially 
between Senegal and the Cape Verde Islands. They 
followed our ship in schools, and we often saw them 
accompanied by their ‘ pilots,’ — fishes known among 
the ancients as Pompilius, and, by naturalists of the 
present time, as Naucrates ductor. It seems that 
Naucrates acts as a guide for the sharks, and that the 
latter, in recognition of its services, never pursue it. 
It is certain that the Naucrates which we saw lived 
in perfect harmony with the sharks. They swam 
around them, and sometimes leaned against them, 
within the pectoral fin. These fishes, which much 
resemble mackerel, are bluish gray, darkening toward 
the back; broad vertical stripes of a beautiful blue 
encircle their bodies; the pectoral fins are white, the 
ventral ones black, while the tail is of a blue shade. 
We found this species of shark in the Sargasso Sea. 
In the midst of the floating vegetation of the Sar- 
gasso Sea, the second species peculiar to the surface- 
water, noticed at the beginning of this article, 
Antennarius marmoratus, is one of the strangest ani- 
mals we observed. Its back is furnished with long 
appendages; and its fins, elongated and broadened at 
the ends, and digitated, form a sort of feet by means of 
which it circulates among the seaweed which shelters 
it. It builds a nest, joining, by means of strong 
mucous threads, balls of the seaweed on which it 
deposits its eggs. These balls float, tossed about 
by the waves; and, when the young are born, they 
probably find a safe home within. This fish, like 
all the animals of the Sargasso Sea, crustaceans and. 
mollusks, is of the same color as the Algae: it has, 
as it were, assumed their livery. The color of the 
body, spotted with brown and yellow and white, 
harmonizes perfectly with the surroundings; and it 
is only by careful scrutiny that it is discovered. It 
is evident that this similarity in color is to allow 
the animals easily to conceal themselves, and thus 
escape their enemies. But, as Mr. Milne Edwards 
observes, if this livery is a protection to the ani- 
mals possessing it, it becomes in certain cases a dan- 
ger for them; for, owing to it, the carnivorous species 
which have assumed it can very easily approach their 
prey without fear of being seen. 
The fishes from the deep sea taken on board of the 
Talisman include a considerable number of genera 
and species. An examination of them discloses a 
series of general facts of great interest. The first 
question which is suggested to one who studies them 
is this: are there genera and species of fishes charac- 
teristic of bottoms of certain depths? that is, are 
different faunas found at one, two, three, four, and 
five thousand metres? This question may be an- 
swered in the affirmative, for the dredgings show 
that the distribution of certain forms is limited. 
Many examinations were necessary to reach this con- _ 
clusion, on account of the strange circumstance that 
certain species are found at a depth of from 600 to 
