Identifier: oceanwonderscomp00damo (find matches)
Title: Ocean wonders: a companion for the seaside
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Damon, William Emerson, 1838-
Subjects: Marine animals Aquariums
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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The Sea-Kaven (Hemitriptt an anglers rod—the unsavory bait is successful, and the smallfish proceed to their doom, as the great mouth opens andtakes them in, remorselessly as a scoop-net. The great num-ber which they swallow often leads, however, to their owndestruction; for, though this marine angler is not himselfdesired for the table, fishermen often kill him for the sake ofthe numerous small fish which are found in his stomach.The apparatus with which he baits his victims is unique in SOME CURIOUS DEXIZENS OF THE SEA. 115 the piscatorial line. It is one of several long, movable spines,rising from the back of the head, arranged something on theplan of a hook and staple; it is very curious, and well worththe trouble of dissecting a specimen, to see the beautiful adap-tation of Nature in this bony contrivance to help the uglyfellow to a dinner. Its locale is northerly, not being found
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V The Ang-ler (Lopliius piscatorms). farther south than the Capes of Delaware. It is frequentlycaught in New York waters in the early spring, but doesnot bear confinement well, and lives but a few days in thetank. The Hammek-iieaded Shark (Zygcena malleus).—Theessential peculiarity of this member of the great family ofsharks is the shape of its head, which plainly resembles thehead of a hammer, while the rest of its body is similar toother sharks. The head is very much flattened, and from- either side project arm-like protuberances, upon the very ex- 116 THE OCEAN. tremity of which the eyes are placed, so that, while one isdirected to one point of the compass, the other necessarilylooks in an exactly opposite direction. Thus this great marinecrniser (it often grows to the length of ten feet) may be saidto always have a watch set, both on the starboard and larboard, to protect his precious body. By a peculiar ar-rangement of the eyelids, however, he can much more easily V

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