THE INDIAN LIST 235 



Indian deep-sea fishes we find spiked dog-fishes and 

 true rays {Raia) resembling those of temperate seas, as 

 well as a few species belonging to the cod family, in 

 addition to a number of characteristic abyssal forms, 

 such as Ophidiidce, MacntridcE, Alepocephalidce, and 

 HalosauridcE, as the following list shows : — 



List of the Families of 



Species. 



1. Spiny dogfishes . . 2 



2. Dogfishes ... 3 



3. Electric rays . . i 



4. True rays ... 2 



5. Sea-perches ... 3 



6. Scorpcenidce ... 4 



7. Berycidce ... 6 



8. Hair-tails . . . i 



9. Horse-mackerels . . i 



10. Dories . . . . i 



1 1 . Weevers and Star-gazers 4 



12. Anglers . . .14 



13. Gurnards ... 5 



Indian Deep-Sea Fishes. 



Species. 



14. 



Gobies . 



• 4 



15. 



Codfishes 



• 3 



16. 



Ophidiidce . 



• 23 



17- 



Macriiridce . 



. 18 



18. 



Ateleopodidcc 



I 



19. 



Flat-fishes . 



. 10 



20. 



Sternoptychidce 



• 9 



21. 



Stomiatidce . 



• 5 



22. 



Scopelidce 



. 13 



23. 



Alepocephalidce 



. 10 



24. 



HalosaiLvidce 



5 



25. 



Eels . 





26. 



Sclerodermi . 



2 



It is not possible here to speak of all these species 

 in detail, so I shall restrict myself to noticing briefly 

 only those forms which clearly illustrate some of those 

 modifications which are admittedly due to the strange 

 conditions of life in the abysses. 



We have seen that the true deep-sea fishes are, 

 as a consequence of the enormous pressure under which 

 they live, characterised by a peculiar delicacy and fragi- 

 lity of tissue. This feature is well displayed by the 



