THE HABITS OF FISHES
29
,
where, are pœsecuted within these limits. The reasons for
this are fairly clear.
On the one hand, the coastal Waters
have a rich supply of plant life, not only in the form of
enormous forests of seawe€d, butalso in the form of Heating
organisms or
cOnverting the refuse "or
wast6products from the land and rivers into:ùsefùlfood and
oxygen.
The result is that the animal
of the littoral waters is exceedingly rich, far‘richef than out
over the oceanic depths, and the young of many shes
.
well as the Herring prot thereby. On the other hand, the
littoral waters are the meeting—place of diverse
from the ocean, from the north,— arid— from the riversj
meeting—places seem to 'bespecially favourable—t‘o the
duction of plant and animal life.
;
-
.
'
'
;.In- addition to the shes thatm0ve actively about, there
“
are many Othersthat lead a more eà‘syiife, resting f0r-the
most:part on the bottom.…" Four different kinds can be
distinguished. ,. Some are like the “normal shes in = shape
and yet bûry1themselVes in the sand ormud.: . Such are "the -
WeeVers
poisonou'è spines, and the sharp—
,
pointed— SandæelS
,
.
prbvidé more food
tb shes
any other forms.— TAseC‘ond group tends to be
,
…; broadenedoutorattened,likréthe
Roeklirig,
Sea-snas(L1pans),Lumpsuckerand TOad4sh
,
(Batrachüs) ,
dosé; to the bottom? asçposs1ble
without actually bùrying themselves; il_'AHd"Tso‘mèïÏî-othersçrare
still more broadened out until they seem a cumbersor‘h‘e mass,
all mouth and stomach With very little tail, like the Frog—shes
(Figs.
5) ; or again, all head and side—ns, like the Monk—'
sh or Angel—shark (Rhina). The last leads to 'a‘third group,
the Rays, which have the broad side—ns attached} along the
'
sidÊ;0f the head, and: them0uth under the sndut;
" î'Th€é€ àll' —'
_»
keepthe normal position, and have the bellyiùdermœt; :
_
Butt—he} last group, the)? so'ê_calledî=Flat,—shes
'
‘
and Sole; lie bn one
*
together On the
of
'
se‘lVe's? 1nthesand or mud
;
:As a
{j