STRANGE FISHES OF THE TROPICS 
411 
The Porcupine Fish , 1 also known as Puffer, 
Ball-Fish, Swell-Fish and Toad-Fish, is another 
sea-side “curio,” although usually it is stuffed 
not wisely, but too swell. A tow-filled balloon 
of fish-skin, with spines upon it, is not necessarily 
a Porcupine Fish; and the sea-side taxidermist 
should sometimes put a curb upon his zeal for 
expansion. 
1 Chi-lo-myc'te-rus ge-o-met’ri-cus. 
Like the bellows-fish, this species can expand 
itself with air to about twice its normal size. Its 
back is covered with strong, bony spines, which 
in some species are an inch in length. It is a 
fish of tropical waters, and in Cuba is considered 
a food fish. The species figured is one of four 
which in summer visit our Atlantic coast, while 
two others are found on the coast of California. 
See illustration on page 374. 
