. Elements of zoölogy. Zoology. THE TRUE FISHES. 169 Southern waters the ferocious and snake-like Murtzna is found, attaining a length of three feet. Note.—In a pond near Wells, on the Maine coast, the eels inva- riably go down into salt water at night, and, as the stream is narrow, the sight is remarkable, thousands filling the channel, leaving the water when alarmed and passing over the dry rocks to the ocean. The sound, a single note, frequently uttered by the eel, is, according to Abbott, more distinctly musical than those made by other fishes, and has a metallic resonance. Order III. Thre
. Elements of zoölogy. Zoology. THE TRUE FISHES. 169 Southern waters the ferocious and snake-like Murtzna is found, attaining a length of three feet. Note.—In a pond near Wells, on the Maine coast, the eels inva- riably go down into salt water at night, and, as the stream is narrow, the sight is remarkable, thousands filling the channel, leaving the water when alarmed and passing over the dry rocks to the ocean. The sound, a single note, frequently uttered by the eel, is, according to Abbott, more distinctly musical than those made by other fishes, and has a metallic resonance. Order III. Thread-jawed Fishes (Nematognathi). Cat-Fishes (Siluridce).—The cat-fishes may be recog- nized by the curious barbels or threads that hang from their jaws. They have no scales, the skin being in some species protected by bony plates. Some are marine, but the majority live in fresh water. A blind cat-fish (Gronias) inhabits a subterranean stream in Pennsylvania. The Anus, of South America, carries its eggs in its mouth, and even the young fish. In a species of Arius, in Panama, the mother first carries them about in a fold of the skin, and later the male receives them in its capacious mouth. The female Aspredo carries its eggs about attached to dang- ling capsules, that cover the fins and ventral surface of the body, disappearing after the breeding season. The com-. FiG. 209.—An electric cat-fish (Malapterus electricus). mon cat-fish carefully guards its young, while the South American Doras and Callichthys build nests of leaves in which the young are placed. These fishes also leave ponds 8. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Holder, Charles Frederick, 1851-1915; Holder, Joseph Bassett, 1824-1888, joint author. New York : D. Appleton and company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
