KING OF THE HERRINGS. 
fairly long, the longest ones measuring more than 2 cm., and entirely 
different from those of the preceding genus. Neither of the veutra] 
rays is present, but of the left pectoral fin there remain the basal 
parts of 13 rays. 
The distance between the base of the first dorsal ray and the 
base of the ventral fin is 277 mm. 
The distance between the base of the first dorsal ray and the 
vent is 1,455 mm. 
The distance between the anterior end of the base of the pectoral 
fin and the base of the ventral fin is 66 mm. 
The distance between the anterior end of the base of the pectoral 
fin and the vent is 1,320 mm. 
The last measurement suggests that the length of the living 
fish was about 38 dm. 
b 
Fig. 88. Regalecus glesne, portions of the skin of the specimen from 
Burholm, a: with a part of the lateral line, where it traverses one 
of the carinae on the side of the body; b\ a part of the ventral 
margin. Natural size. 
The King of the Herrings lives in very deep water, 
its species being perhaps identical in all the oceans; 
but of its usual manner of life we know nothing. 
Occasionally it appears at the surface, and in the su- 
perstitious imagination of the sailor takes the form of 
“the great Sea-serpent.” “ Hancock and Embleton de- 
scribe the capture by three fishermen from Cullercoats 
in Northumberland, not far from Newcastle, on the 26th 
of March, 1849, of the specimen afterwards examined 
by these writers. The fishermen found it about 6 miles 
from shore and in from 20 to 30 fathoms of water, 
when they were leaving their fishing-station to return 
home. When they came upon it, the fish was lying at 
full length on its side at the surface; but at their ap- 
proach it “righted itself, and came with a gentle, lateral, 
undulating motion towards them, showing its crest and 
a small portion of the head occasionally above water; 
when it came alongside, one of them struck it with his 
picket — a hook attached to the end of a small stick, 
and used in landing their fish; on this it made off with 
a vigorous and vertical undulating motion, and disap- 
peared as quick as lightning under the surface. In a 
short time it reappeared at a small distance, and pulling 
up to it they found it again lying on its side: they 
plied the picket a second time and struck it a little 
behind the head; the picket again tore through the 
tender flesh by a violent effort of the fish, which escaped 
once more, but with diminished vigour; on the boat 
coming a third time alongside, the two young men put- 
ting their arms round the fish lifted it into the boat. 
Signs of life remained for some time after the fish was 
captured, but no doubt it was in a dying or very sickly 
state when first discovered.” 
According to the account of these fishermen the 
whole body of the fish was of a silvery, iridescent 
ground-colour, as brilliant as that of the common Her- 
ring, but with a decided dash of blue. In the open air, 
however, the colour soon fades, and the silvery gloss 
vanishes at the slightest touch. It is also probable that 
the colour of the dark brown, longitudinal stripes on 
the lateral ridges of the body is due to injury. The 
black transverse bands which cross the sides obliquely 
in a downward and backward direction, as well as the 
scattered black spots, disappear soon after death, leav- 
ing scarcely a visible trace behind, according to Wright*, 
after the lapse of a day or two. Eventually the fish 
becomes darker and darker, and in the process of dry- 
ing turns quite black, as is the case with Lindroth’s 
specimen in the Royal Museum. 
We are still ignorant of the exact shape of the 
occipital fin. Hancock and Embleton were told by 
their informants that the rays were like peacocks feath- 
ers. Naalsoe’s drawing as reproduced by Lutken (1. c.) 
a The tales of the great Sea-serpent may probably be explained by a variety of different causes — tumbling dolphins, enormous 
cuttle-fish, specimens of Selaclie (Basking Shark) floating and resting at the surface, or even floating wreckage. But in the cases where the 
Sea-serpent appears with crest erect, the explanation seems to lie in the appearance and death-struggles of the King of the Herrings at the 
surface of the ocean. 
6 Nat. Hist. Trans. North., Durham, vol. V (1877), p. 341. 
