THE ARCHER FISH.
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. Such headings were linked to the heading in the text which was closest contextually.
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. Links (in the list of illustrations and within the text) are therefore made to go to the illustration referenced rather than to the page number. 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