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cases having occurred of fingers and toes being cut off by them.

Schomburgk then relates astonishing instances of their voracity, in which the toes of the river Cavia are eaten off; a large sun-fish devoured alive; ducks and geese deprived of their feet and walking on the stumps. Of course the lines which are used to capture them have to be armed with metal to prevent their being cut through. Their voracity is marvellous, and any bait will attract them the instant it is thrown into the water. Precaution is necessary, however, when the fish is lifted out of the water, or it will inflict serious wounds in its struggles. The fisherman therefore has a small bludgeon ready, with which he breaks their skulls as soon as they are caught.

wise in his mouth, sails steadily away to his lair, there to devour his prey at leisure. Other fish hunt their food like dogs or wolves in packs, as does the bonito chase the flying fish, and one perhaps of the fiercest, most savage, and resolute of these is the Pirai, of South America. So fierce and savage are these little pirates, when their size and apparent capability is taken into consideration, that their feats of destructiveness are little short of the marvellous. Stand forth, then, "pirai" of the Carib, "black saw-bellied salmon" (Serra salmo niger) of Schomburgk; so called, doubtless, from the possession of the peculiar adipose fin, common only to the salmon tribe, though in no other re"spect does it resemble a salmon, there being positive structural differences between the species. Let us take the portrait of this fish. Doubtless the reader figures to Thus there are fish which shoot their himself a fish of "a lean and hungry prey, which fish for it, which course it and look," a very Cassius of a fish, with the hunt it, in various ways. There are others lanthorn jaws of a pike. But, in fact, the which employ other fishes to hunt it up pirai is somewhat aldermanic and like a for them, as we use pointers and setters; bream in figure, with a fighting-looking such as the little Pilot-fish, which leads the kind of nose, and a wondrously expressive huge shark to his prey; though this has eye-cold, cruel, and insatiable, and like been disputed, because the pilot-fish has to that of an old Jew bill discounter when been known to follow and play about a scrutinizing doubtful paper. There is 70 vessel just as it does usually about the or 80 per cent. in that eye at the very body of a shark. The probability is that least and ruin to widows and orphans un- the pilot-fish is a species of parasite or numbered if they come in its way. If it diner-out, who will make particular friends were a human eye, the owner would be with any big person who will feed him, and bound sooner or later to figure at execu- no doubt would find food in the refuse cast tion dock. The jaw is square, powerful, from the vessel, even as he would from the and locked into a very large head for the fragments torn off by the shark when feedsize of the fish; and that is a fat, plumping on any large body. Doubtless, too, head too, but radiated over with strong there is a certain amount of protection obbone and gristle. The teeth ah! they tained from consorting with monsters would condemn him anywhere, for here is against other predacious fish. The fact of a fish sixteen inches long, with the teeth the pilot-fish conducting the shark to his almost of a shark. Schomburgk speaks prey has been disputed, but veritable inthus of its destructive power: stances related by eye-witnesses leave no doubt that at times it does fulfil this office for the shark. Nor is there anything singular in the fact. The pilot-fish is on the look-out for his own dinner probably, but will not venture on it until his protector has helped himself. We have numerous instances of this both in human and beastlife.

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This voracious fish is found plentifully in all the rivers in Guiana, and is dreaded by every other inhabitant or visitant of the river. Their jaws are so strong that they are able to bite off a man's finger or toe. They attack fish of tentimes their own weight, and devour all but the head. They begin with the tail, and the fish, being left without the chief organ of motion, is devoured with ease, several going to participate of the meal. Indeed there is scarcely any animal which it will not attack, man not excepted. Large alligators which have been wounded on the tail afford a fair chance of satisfying their hunger, and even the toes of this formidable animal are not free from their attacks. The feet of ducks and geese, where they are kept, are almost invariably cut off, and young ones devoured altogether. In these places it is not safe to bathe, or even to wash clothes, many

In weapons of offence, besides the shooting apparatus already mentioned, fish have, first, the sword. This is represented by the blade of the Sword-fish (Xiphias gladius).. This fish possesses a tremendously powerful weapon, backed as it is by the great weight and impetus which it can bring to bear upon its thrusts. Many instances have been known in which the bottoms of ships have been pierced through by the

are several members of the saw-fish tribe; one of the most peculiar is the Pristis cirratus, or Cirrated Saw-fish, of New South Wales. In the saw of this fish the teeth are irregular, one long and three short ones being placed alternately.

the spear of the narwhal is always situated on one side of the nose, chiefly the left; it does not project from the middle of the head: it is no long snout or horn,* but an elongated tooth or tusk. The narwhal, when young, has the germs of but three teeth. Sometimes two of these become developed and grow out spiked tusks, pointing in divergent directions; oftener, however, but one is the mature result. Whatever the use of this formidable spear may be, we know that it is very excellent and valuable ivory; but for any minute information as to the natural history of the animal itself, we should have to rely chiefly upon the knowledge of the Kamschatkans, which amounts to little more than that it is good eating, produces much oil, and is possessed of a valuable tooth.

sword of the Xiphias. Ships sailing quietly along have received a shock as if they had touched a rock, and when they have been examined after the voyage, the broken blade of the fish has been found sticking in the ship's side. In the United States Service Museum there is, or was formerly, The weapon of the Narwhal - which by a specimen of the sword-fish's handywork the bye is not strictly a fish, but a member in this respect. A portion of the weapon of the Cetacea found chiefly in the Arctic is shown sticking into the timbers of a seas-is the most perfect specimen of a ship, having pierced the sheathing and very complete and efficient spear, being planking and buried itself deeply in the composed of the hardest ivory and taperstout oak knee-timber of the vessel. Xiph- ing gradually to a point. But what the ias would, however, be terribly bothered special purpose of this spear is, is not with the change in naval architecture; and known; whether it is used as a means of we are inclined to wonder what he would attack upon its enemies, or to secure its make of an iron-clad. Perhaps a little prey, or whether it is a mere implement rough experience in this direction may for digging a passage through opposing make him more chary of indulging naughty ice-floes, as is often supposed, we can but tempers, and he may be taught qud Doctor conjecture. It is a very singular fact that Watts that, like little children, he "should not let his angry passions rise." If so, the cause of humanity will be strongly pleaded by the iron-clads, and the poor, clumsy, harmless whale will be the gainer. The Xiphias frequently weighs five or six hundred pounds in weight. The rapidity with which it can cut through the water is very great. It is a great enemy to the whale, and it is generally surmised that it mistakes a ship sailing through the water for a whale, and dashes at it with indiscriminating rage, often breaking and losing its sword by its blind fury. Persons bathing have not always been entirely safe from this fish, but have been stabbed to death by the Xiphias. One instance of this occurred in the Bristol Channel, near the mouth of the Severn, in which a small fish of some seventy or eighty pounds weight Of daggers various we have many specwas the malefactor. They abound in the imens, more particularly amongst the famMediterranean, and a hunt after, with the ily of the Raiidæ ;t and fearful weapons harpooning and slaying of the Xiphias is they are, some of them being serrated or usually a work of time and much excite- barbed, and capable of inflicting terrible ment. Akin to the sword-fish in their of- lacerated wounds. In most of these fish fensive capabilities are the Saw-fishes, the dagger, or spine, is situated on and though their weapons resemble rather such some way down the elongated tail; and as as are used by certain savage tribes than the animal has great muscular power in the civilized saws. Nor does the word "saw" tail, and is able to whirl it about in any dicorrectly describe them. They are terri-rection it may desire, it not unfrequently ble weapons, however, and the Indians who edge their spears with shark's teeth almost reproduce artificially the weapon of the saw-fish. The largest of them, Pristis antiquorum, is commonly found to grow to the length of fifteen or sixteen feet. The elongated snout is set upon either side with sharp spikes, thickly dispersed, and somewhat resembling the teeth of the shark. It forms a most fearful weapon, as the poor whale has good reason to know, to whom it is also a deadly enemy. There

deals forth most savage retribution to its captors. It knows full well, too, how to direct its aim, and it is told of some of the members of this family that if a hand, or even a finger, be laid upon the fish, it can, by a single turn of the tail, transfix with

These spears were brought home formerly and imposed upon the credulous as the horn of the uni

corn.

†There are three species of rays in this country
the Sting Ray, the

which have these weapons-
Eagle Ray, and the Horned Ray.

--

It is much dreaded by the fisherman on account of its sharp spines, which are usually considered as venomous, but without any sufficient reason, as they are quite devoid of all poisonous secretion. Mr. Couch states that he has

its spine the offending member. So dan- weapons possessed by any fish is the natgerous are the consequences of these ural and terrible pair of shears formed by wounds, that it is customary (and in France the jaws of the Shark. The only parallel and Italy it is made compulsory by law on weapon of offence that can be cited as used the fishermen) to cut off the tails above by man would, perhaps, be the spiked the spines of the fish thus armed before portcullis, but the future may present us they are brought to market; and in this with steam shears with blades ten feet long, way almost the only specimen of the Eagle and intended to receive cavalry-who Ray (Myliobatis aquila) ever captured alive knows? There is no telling where the in this country* was mutilated; so that ingenuity of modern inventors in the dethe specimen was useless. The Picked Dog-structive line may lead us. But there are fish is also provided with two short, sharp not many instruments so efficient for their spines one on each dorsal fin. Many purpose as the tooth of a shark. It is dif other fish are furnished with spines, either ficult to handle one freely without cutting upon the fins or as horns, or in sharp pro- one's fingers; and when we consider the jections from the gill-covers. The spines tremendous leverage of a shark's jaws emof the Greater and Lesser Weaver inflict ployed against each other like scissors, most painful wounds, and cause such ago- armed with rows of lancets, it is evident ny that it is commonly reported they are that nothing in the shape of flesh, gristle, in some way venomous. This has been or bone could withstand them. Their denied, and demonstrated to be impossible; capacity, too, is equal to their powers, for yet it seems difficult to account for the fol- a pair of jaws taken from a shark of not lowing facts upon any other hypothesis. more than nine feet long has been known Sir W. Jardine, in speaking of the greater to be passed down over the shoulders and weaver, says: body of a man six feet high without inconvenience. It was thought to be an act of very unusual strength and dexterity on the part of the Emperor Commodus to cut the white shark find no difficulty whatever a man in two at one blow, but the jaws of in executing that feat. The vast number of teeth contained within the shark's jaw has been accounted for by some writers on the hypothesis that they are erected when the shark seizes its prey, at all other times lying flat on their sides. It is now, however, more generally admitted that the shark only employs the outer row of teeth, and that the inner ones are a provision of nature against an accident which is, and must be, a very common one when the implements are considered, and the force with which they are employed — viz. the breaking of a tooth. In this case the corresponding tooth on the inside becomes erect, and is by degrees pushed forward into the place of the broken one — a wondrous and very necessary provision to keep so delicate and powerful an apparatus as the shark's jaw always in order. The voracity of the shark forms an endless resource for the writers on the marvellous whose bent lies towards natural history. Whole ships' crews have been devoured by sharks ere now, while their omnivorousness is extraordinary. This is well exemplified by the observation once made to me by an old tar, who was dilating on the variety of objects he had found at one time or another inside the bellies "Lord love ye, sir," quo' Ben, "there bain't nothin' as you

known three men wounded successively in the hand by the same fish, and the consequences have in a few minutes been felt as high as the

shoulder.

Again, in treating of the lesser weaver, "If trodden on by bathers, as frequently happens, it inflicts," says Dr. Parnell, "a severe and painful wound, causing the part to swell and almost immediately to assume a a dark brown appearance, which remains for five or six hours."

In the teeth of the confident assertion of great authorities it would be rash to say that any poisonous secretion exists. But if the above facts be quoted as proofs or instances of the absence of venom, they would appear to be singularly infelicitous

ones.

Perhaps one of the most formidable

• This fish was captured at Ramsgate some years ago and sent to me; it was 18 inches long. exclusive of the tail, which was missing, and about 2 1-2 feet broad. Previous to this the tail of one was examined by Pennant, and a small one was found dead off Berwick by Dr. Johnson, but no living specimen had been captured. Since this was penned, however, but a few months ago. another one was caught and attracted a good deal of notice. This fish was taken off the Devonshire coast, and was about the same size, or a trifle larger than mine. It was preserved in the Exeter Museum, where it now is. Mr. Buckland very kindly sent me an excellent photograph of the fish. The colours appear to have been of sundry sharks.

most brilliant.

mightn't expec' to find in the insides o' a shirk, from a street pianny to a milestone." *

consists of a large and strong hooked beak, similar to a hawk's or parrot's. A fish or other creature comes within reach, and it is instantly lassoed by one of the tentacles, the others winding around it also to secure it in their folds. It is compressed tightly and drawn down to the beak, which rends and devours it at leisure, escape from these terrible folds being almost impossible.

Continuing the description of the variety of weapons exemplified in fishes, we have a rival of that terrible scourge the knout in the tail of the Thresher, or Fox-shark (Alopias vulpes). The upper lobe is tremendously elongated, being nearly as long as the body of the fish, and amazingly muscular. It is curved like the blade of The arms are also the means of propula scythe in shape, and the blows which it sion, and are used as oars, by the aid of can and does inflict with this living flail of which the octopus manages to progress can be heard at a great distance; a herd through the water with considerable rapidof dolphins are scattered as though they ity. Mr. Wood, in his popular natural were mere sprats by one stroke of the history, treats on this point as follows: thresher's tail, and stories of the combats "All the squids are very active, and some between the whale on the one side and a species, called 'flying squids' by sailors, combination of threshers and sword-fish and ommastrephes by naturalists, are able on the other are too common to need more to dash out of the sea and to dart to conthan a reference here. The form of battle siderable distances;" and he quotes Mr. usually consists in the sword-fish stabbing Beale to show that they sometimes the whale from beneath, and so driving manage to propel themselves through him up to the surface, when the fox-sharks the air for a distance of 80 or 100 yards, spring upon him, and with resonant blows the action being likened to a something from their fearful knouts drive him below again upon the weapons of their allies. The lasso is a weapon of some efficacy amongst various people; a form of lasso was even used by the Hungarians, and with great effect in the War of Independence. It consisted of a kind of long-lashed whip, with a bullet slung at the end of the lash. And we have a sort of living lasso in the foot of the Cephalopod. The cephalopods are the polypes of Aristotle, and belong to the molluscs. They are of the first order of invertebrate, or spineless animals. Mollusca cephalopoda is the style and titles of the family Cephalopoda, in English meaning "foot-headed". that is, its organs of locomotion, or the greater part of them, are attached to its head, whence they radiate for the most part in long, tough, and pliant tentacles or arms, of great muscular powers. On these tentacles are placed rows of suckers of very singular construction, which singly or simultaneously adhere with great tenacity to any object they come in contact with. The arms are extended in all directions, when seeking prey. In the centre of them, in the middle of the stomach as it were, is the mouth of the creature, which is fully as curious as the rest of its anatomy, and

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Witness the story of the Magpie schooner, very well told in the Shipwreck Series" of the Percy Anecdotes. This vessel was capsized in a squall, and most of the crew took refuge in a boat, which was upset by overcrowding. They were surrounded by sharks at the time, and every man, save two, who managed to right the boat and escape, was devoured

by the sharks.

which might be achieved by a live corkscrew with eight prongs. In the account given in Bennett's Whaling Voyage they are often spoken of as leaping on board the ship, and even clear over it into the water on the other side. Nature has also furnished the cephalopod with another curious weapon of offence, or defence rather, in the shape of a bag of black fluid, or sepia, commonly termed by fishermen the inkbag; and what a dreadful weapen of offence or defence ink may be, in many cases, there are few of us unaware. The cuttle when closely pursued sends out a cloud of it to hide him from view, and escapes under cover of it.

Some of the cephalopods possess extraordinary powers of muscular contraction, as the common squid, for example, which is spread out at one moment in a body and volume larger round than a large man's fist, and the next moment will contract itself so that it can easily pass through the cork-hole in a boat or the neck of a winebottle. Great sensational attraction has been directed to the octopus by the tremendous description of the combat in Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea. No doubt a large octopus, such as are found in the Pacific and elsewhere, and which sometimes have arms of eight or nine feet in length, could drown a man with the greatest ease, if he had no weapon and was caught by one under water. From remote ages the deeds of the polypus have been chronicled by poets and writers of strong imaginative powers; and thus we

Of the tremendous powers which can be given off in one shock it may be stated that Faraday having made experiments with the specimen which was shown several years ago at the Adelaide Gallery, estimated that an average shock emitted as great a force as the highest force of a Leyden battery of fifteen jars, exposing 3,500 inches of coated surface.

have, probably, the partially fabulous story | pædia, that "all the gymuotidæ are remarkof the Lernæan hydra, which, if it ever ex-able for the position of the anus, which is so isted at all, had its origin no doubt in the very far 'forward as in the electrical eel to impossible deeds of some improbable octo-be before the gill openings," which would pus. Then there is the story of the king's certainly seem to confirm Mr. Couch's supdaughter and the noble diver, who dived position. for a gold cup and the love of his princess, but profited by neither, since he never came up again, being supposed to have been lassoed by some monster octopus at the bottom of the whirlpool, and many other well-known stories. The beast forms a very great attraction at the Crystal Palace aquarium where the ladies, of course, insist on calling him "the Devil Fish " (but that distinguished title belongs to another fish); and where he is poked up daily for their inspection, it being one of his diabolical tendencies to dwell "under ebon shades and low-browed rocks." What a life for a poor devil who wants nothing but solitude and retirement, to BE a show-devil and at the beck and call of the ladies!

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There are five different fish endued with electrical powers. Of the torpedo there are two species-the old and new British torpedo; one of the Gymnotus electricus, or electric eel, as it is called; and two of the Malapterurus — viz. M. electricus of the Nile, called Raash or thunder fish, by the Arabs, and the Malapterurus Beninensis the smallest of the electrical fishes, Amongst other offensive powers com- found in the Old Calabar River, which manded by fish and men alike is the very falls into the Bight of Bénin on the coast remarkable one of electricity; it is slightly of Africa. The latter fish is a comparaused in warlike as well as useful purposes. tively recent discovery, having been But the possible uses to which we may put known to us only some fifteen or sixteen electricity ourselves hereafter as an offen-years. We have no very good account of sive weapon we cannot at present even either of these latter fish. A specimen of guess at. It is a powerful agent to several the last was sent to me three or four years kinds of fish, and yet ichthyologists are ago. It is a curious little fish about five greatly at fault to settle the exact pur- or six inches in length, and very much repose for which it is given to them sembles the Siluridae in general appearwhether it be for the purpose of killing ance, about the head especially. It has the animals they prey on, or of facilitating long barbules, three on each side of the their capture, or whether it be intended to mouth, and has a very bloated, puffy aprender them more easy of digestion. pearance, caused, it is to be presumed, by the electric apparatus, which is deposited between the skin and the frame of the fish. In the torpedo the electric battery is placed in two holes, one on either side of the eyes. Here a number of prismatic cells are arranged in the fashion of a honeycomb, the number being regulated by the age of the fish. These represent the jars in the battery, and they are capable of giving out a terrible shock, as many an incautious fishermau has experienced to his cost. We may trust also that the torpedos with which our coasts and harbours are likely to be thronged, will be capable of giving off even a severer shock; and though gunpowder and gun-cotton will be the shocking agents in these cases, yet electricity will play no unimportant part in their process. Formerly quacks galvanized their patients by the application of the natural torpedo, applying it to the joints and limbs for gout, rheumatism &c. That the electricity is true electricity has

Mr. Couch, in speaking of the properties of electricity and the digestive capability of the Torpedo, has the following: “One well-known effect of the electric shock is to deprive animals killed by it of their organic irritability, and consequently to render them more easily disposed to pass into a state of decomposition, in which condition the digestive powers more speedily and effectively act upon them. If any creature more than others might seem to require such preparation of its food, it is the cramp ray, the whole canal of whose intestine is not more than half as long as the stomach." This is certainly very curious, and if it should be found that the same deficiency in point of digestive accommodation exists in the gymnotus and the other fishes of electric powers, the hypothesis would be converted almost into a certainty. In hunting up authorities to verify this curious fact, we find in the article on the gymnotus in Chambers's Encyclo

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