. Chimæroid fishes and their development. Fishes; Chimaeridae. I. CHIM/ERA AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS. THE LIVING FISH: COLOR, SIZE, DISTRIBUTION, HABITS. This section was suggested as a beginning for the present memoir, since, in spite of man}' references, no observations have hitherto been published describing the living fish. In fact, the impression which the rank and file of zoologists have of Chimsera is, I believe, derived from the figure* given by Valenciennes in the illus- trated edition of Cuvier's Regne Animal, which has been copied trustfully by text- books, even by those which have ap
. Chimæroid fishes and their development. Fishes; Chimaeridae. I. CHIM/ERA AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS. THE LIVING FISH: COLOR, SIZE, DISTRIBUTION, HABITS. This section was suggested as a beginning for the present memoir, since, in spite of man}' references, no observations have hitherto been published describing the living fish. In fact, the impression which the rank and file of zoologists have of Chimsera is, I believe, derived from the figure* given by Valenciennes in the illus- trated edition of Cuvier's Regne Animal, which has been copied trustfully by text- books, even by those which have appeared during recent years. This figure was evidently taken from a stufted specimen, and gives the grotesque appearance of one of Aldrovandus's monsters, thus well meriting the name of '' ; It is a sur-. Fig. I.—Chimaera colliei. One-fifth actual size. The upper specimen, a male, shows the frontal clasping organ everted, a position which was only retained by fastening the organ in this posihon. The mixipterygia were turned somewhat sideways, so as to make them more apparent. The antero-venlral clasping organ is not conspicuous, but its tip is seen to protrude from the vertical slit immediately in front of the pelvic fin. The figure indicates the translucency of the snout region. The lower, larger specimen, a well-grown female, shows immediately above the base ot the ventral fin the tumid eminence at the opening of an oviduct. !t illustrates, as secondary sexual characters, the narrower pectoral fin and first dorsal. The photographs illustrate the translucency of the fins and delicate sheen of the newly-caaght specimens. prise, therefore, to find that the fish is, in point of fact, remarkably beautiful, its contours well rounded, its fins delicate, and its colors almost herring-like in bril- liancy. Instead of' 'Chimaera" it deserves rather its popular Norwegian name, ' 'king of the herrings," or, better still, its Japanese name, "gin-same" (
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectfishes, bookyear1906
