256 
THE SEA WOLF. 
dissects its head, merely for the purpose of seeing the beautiful structure which has been 
briefly described. 
The use of these spines is no less remarkable than their form. 
The Fishing-Frog is not a rapid swimmer, and would have but little success if it were to 
chase the swift and active fishes on which it feeds. It, therefore, buries itself in the muddy 
sand, and continually waves the long filaments with their glittering tips. The neighboring- 
fish, following the instincts of their inquisitive nature, come to examine the curious object, 
and are suddenly snapped up in the wide jaws of their hidden foe. Many fishes can be attracted 
by any glittering object moved gently in the water, and it is well known by anglers how deadly 
a bait is formed of a spoon-shaped piece of polished metal, furnished with hooks, and drawn 
quickly through the water. 
The arrangement of the spines in this fish — which is equally w T ell known in our American 
waters — as our author says, will well repay the examination. We have frequently seen these 
fishes in the market, brought there as curiosities, but have seen very large specimens on Nahant 
beaches. One example was about five feet in length, the head being about one-third as much 
in width. The gape of such a head is enormous, and the creature had partially swallowed a 
cod-fish of the largest kind, which, with its head protruding, was heavy enough to weigh the 
Angler to the bottom, when the heavy seas threw it with its prey to the shore. The first free 
spine on the top of the head is about nine inches in length, and with its bit of membranes as 
bait, is a veritable fishing-rod. The creature is sluggish, and, lying on the soft bottom, partly 
covered, it moves this rod gently, and thereby attracts the luckless fishes that form its food. 
The very odd-looking creature called the Walking-fish, is one of the strange and wild 
forms that sometimes occur in nature, and which are so entirely opposed to all preconceived 
ideas, that they appear rather to be the composition of human ingenuity than beings actually 
existing. The traveller who first discovered this remarkable fish would certainly have been 
disbelieved if he had contented himself with making a drawing of it, and had not satisfied the 
rigid scrutiny of scientific men by bringing home a preserved specimen. 
The Toad-fish ( Antennarius histrio) is the curious little creature that is seen at times 
floating on the surface, evidently distressed on account of its body being unduly inflated. Its 
habit is to inflate itself, but often it seems to be helpless in this state. Its curious nest, made 
among floating alga) on the ocean, is familiar to readers of popular books on Natural History. 
This fish is so decorated by algae-like excrescences it becomes a complete piece of deception. 
It is difficult to distinguish the difference between the fish and the surrounding sea-weed. 
The Bat-fish ( Malthea r>espertilio ) is a sluggish fish, found in the warmer waters. Its 
whole appearance is that of a creature adapted to live on the bottom. The pectoral fins are 
developed into feet-like organs, and it actually crawls like a reptile. Its more interesting 
feature lies in the development over its mouth of an erectile club shaped fleshy process, which 
protrudes from a concave locality just over its mouth. Lying in the mud secure in its 
protective resemblance to the surrounding bottom, it causes this erectile organ to turn slowly 
in imitation of a worm, which it resembles. Any inquisitive body that comes within reach is 
taken in below, the great mouth being quite ready, and capable of swallowing anything near 
its own size. 
The important family of the Blennies comes next in order. They are all carnivorous fishes, 
many being extremely voracious, and are spread over the shores of every sea on the globe. 
They mostly reside on or near the bottom. 
The Sea Wolf, Sea Cat, or Swine-fish, is one of the fiercest and most formidable of the 
finny tribes that are found on our coast, and has well earned the popular names by which it is 
known. 
The general color of the Sea Wolf is brownish-gray, with a series of brown vertical stripes 
and spots over the upper parts; the under parts are white. On European shores it attains a 
