[Illustration: ARCHER FISH.]
The idea of a Shooting-fish seems quite as odd as that of a Flying-fish,
yet the Archer-fish often uses this method of bringing down its prey.
For this reason he is sometimes known as the Toxotes—the word meaning a
bowman or archer. Although the Archer-fish belongs to this fourth family
of bony Fishes—those with spiny fins—it is not only unlike any other
species of this family, but unlike any other Fish known; in that it is
the only one that goes out gunning for its prey. It possesses the power
of spurting water from its mouth with such force as to bring down
Insects from aquatic plants within its reach. As it lives almost
entirely upon these insects, it may take rather tedious gunning at times
to secure enough to satisfy its hunger, and it is decidedly interesting
to watch this small archer on one of his hunting expeditions.
In these four groups of cartilaginous Fish, and the four distinct
sections of bony Fishes, with their numerous sub-divisions, may be
classified all the different Fishes that have become known, through all
the careful research of modern Naturalists. Not that they could all be
described in this limited space; nor, in fact, even given separate
mention. Very few have a clear idea of how many different kinds of
Fishes there really are. In the long ago, when Naturalists first made a
study of the inhabitants of the water, and began to write the results of
their researches, it seemed surprising to them to discover nearly a
hundred distinct species. In their different families, Pliny, the
Naturalist, described ninety-four species of Fish. Later Linnaeus
characterized four hundred and seventy-eight. And, marvellous as it may
seem, the Naturalists of the present day know upwards of thirteen
thousand, a tenth of which are fresh water Fishes. While all these
numerous species may possess some distinct peculiarity, they are sure to
possess other characteristics that will classify them with some of these
families. And after becoming familiar with the characteristics of this
limited number of groups and families we may feel acquainted, to a
certain extent, with this whole great throng of nearly thirteen thousand
Fishes.
We often hear the fact regretted, that so many of the larger Fish live
almost entirely by devouring smaller species. And taking into
consideration the immense quantities consumed by mankind each year, not
only as they are caught fresh from the water, but the hundreds and
thousands of barrels and cans of dried and pickled Fish that are shipped
all over the world from the great Salmon and Cod and Herring fisheries,
it is sometimes thought that, in time, the different species of Fish
must surely be exhausted.
But when we think of this marvellous number of species, and then
remember the quantities of a single kind sometimes found in a single
shoal (like that of the Herrings, quoted, in which twenty-two millions
were caught in two days), there appears to be little danger of the
Fishes becoming scarce; for it seems almost past belief that there can
be so many finned inhabitants of the vast waters that comprise nearly
three-fourths of the surface of the globe.
Transcriber's Note:
Some punctuation has been corrected without note, however inconsistent
spelling and hyphenation were retained.
Some page numbers in the table of contents have been corrected and/or
rearranged to match the actual page order. Many headings in the table of
contents do not correspond directly to the headings in the text. These
were left as printed.
Missing page numbers in internal references were added.
The order of illustrations was changed in order to place the
illustrations near to the text describing them. The line 'Caracal
Defending His Booty from' in the list of illustrations was moved to
correspond to the correct illustration.
On p. 73-74, some out of order text was rearranged.
Further corrections are listed below:
Table of Contents Vanderoo -> Wanderoo
Table of Contents Mongousts -> Mangousts
List of Illustrations Mongousts -> Mangousts
p. 15 quator -> quatuor
p. 23 unpronouncable -> unpronounceable
p. 29 Molluses -> Molluscs
p. 33 Plantigrae -> Plantigrade
p. 43 caross -> caress
p. 47 form ancient times -> from ancient times
p. 49 but his thigh -> bit his thigh
p. 52 throug -> through
p. 60 gowl -> growl
p. 61 physicial -> physical
p. 64 Turnsplits -> Turnspits
p. 65 beeen -> been
p. 74 acquatic -> aquatic
p. 74 soons -> soon
p. 79 vegetbles -> vegetables
p. 81 prinicpal ->principal
p. 86 Fliny and other Naturalists -> Pliny and other Naturalists
p. 93 considerale -> considerable
p. 98 omniverous -> omnivorous
p. 101 possesssors -> possessors
p. 113 herbivorour -> herbivorous
p. 127 ruminanting -> ruminating
p. 136 browinsh -> brownish
p. 139 both sex -> both sexes
p. 141 sumer -> summer
p. 152 little us -> little use
p. 152 Moluscs -> Molluscs
p. 153 Narwhale -> Narwhal
p. 156 Nothwithstanding -> Notwithstanding
p. 1566 without and -> without a
p. 161 sime -> some
p. 174 Pyranees -> Pyrenees
p. 174 exhaused -> exhausted
p. 176 heir usefulness -> their usefulness
p. 192 surounded -> surrounded
p. 197 Woodcooks -> Woodcocks
p. 202 slighly -> slightly
p. 207 the also resemble -> they also resemble
p. 208 valeys -> valleys
p. 208 in deed -> indeed
p. 209 hey -> they
p. 215 Plantian -> Plantain
p. 217 resistent -> resistant
p. 219 atractive -> attractive
p. 219 neighhood -> neighborhood
p. 222 Prarie Chickens -> Prairie Chickens
p. 224 seige -> siege (two instances)
p. 227 midde -> middle
p. 229 These consists -> These consist
p. 243 ImmIediately -> Immediately
p. 246 the the elbow -> the elbow
p. 264 spindel-shaped -> spindle-shaped
p. 265 a round -> around
p. 266 nothern -> northern
p. 266 Herring fishers -> Herring fishery
p. 272 famlies -> families
p. 272 imense -> immense