LUMP FISH.
This is one of the largest of the Ray family. It sometimes reaches a length of twelve feet, and being excellent eating, is much sought after by fishermen. It is commonly seen with the Skate-fish in European markets, as it inhabits all the European seas.
A ray of great curving spines extends all along the back of the Lump-fish, to the end of the tail. Two similar spines are above and two below the point of the nose. Two others are placed before, and three behind the eyes. In fact, the whole surface of this curious Lump-fish fairly bristles with large and small spines, and because of this it is sometimes called the Buckler-fish; for these spines are not merely for ornament, but for defence. The color of the upper surface of this Fish is brown with light spots. The tail, which often exceeds the body in length, has three small fins at the end.
Ray-fish of all kinds are inhabitants of the deep sea, but they change according to the seasons. While stormy weather prevails they hide themselves in the depth of the ocean, where they lie in ambush, creeping along the bottom. But they do not always live at the bottom; they rise occasionally to the surface, far from shore, eagerly chasing other inhabitants of the deep, lashing the water with their tails and fins, springing out of the water, and making it foam with their sport.
When pursuing their prey they use their great fins which resemble wings, and with these and their tail, they beat the waters in order to fall unexpectedly upon their prey, as the Eagle swoops upon its victim.
THE TORPEDO, OR CRAMP FISH.
The Torpedo has no spines which can wound, but it has a much more powerful weapon of defence. Like the Electrical Eel, this Fish has the power of producing violent electrical shocks.
The electrical effects produced on the fisherman who seizes one of these Fish, were noted from early times; but Redi, the Italian Naturalist of the seventeenth century, was the first who studied them scientifically. Having caught and landed one of them with every precaution, “I had scarcely touched and pressed it with my hand,” says this Naturalist, “than I experienced a tingling sensation, which extended to my arms and shoulders, and which was followed by a disagreeable trembling, with a painful and acute sensation in the elbow joint, which made me withdraw my arm immediately.”
Other Naturalists have described similar sensations, and careful study has been made of this Fish to discover the cause of this shock, and the hidden power possessed by the Fish of storing up this animal electricity. It still remains a mystery, however, in spite of extensive experimenting.
The body of the Torpedo or Cramp-fish is almost circular, and it is thicker than others of the Ray family. The skin is soft and smooth, and of a yellowish color marked with darker spots. The eyes are very small, and behind them are two star-like spout-holes; the mouth is small, and the long tail tapers to a point, finished with a sort of caudal fin. These curious Fishes are found in the English Channel and along the shores of the Mediterranean.