40
_
THE BIOLOGY OF FISHES
_
But some shes do very «little hunting. Theyeither lie
'
in wait in a secluded nook until their special food comes
along and then pounce upon it, like the Blennies in the rockpools ; or they bury themselves and let the prey come to
them._ It‘is a peculiar thing, for example, that the Greater
.
Sand—ed, a sluggish sh, is almost invariably taken with a
Lesser Sand-eel in its stomach.
More extraordinary still,
the latter is always in head—rst ; when disturbed, it dives
seemingly into what it takesto be an opening in the sand and
nds too late that the. opening is the mouth of its larger
relative, 'The Anglers have improved upon this method.
-
By means of Odd aps of skin and tentacles they rest on the
.and attract- the curiosity
other shes, which
pounce at what seems to be a temptingbait and disappear '
.
into a capaciouS stomach.
_
_'
…
-
,
Fishes are not always feeding however ; some take long
urests between meals, and it may. beith“at*the'ràpidity of
digestion
_
varies
,
a… great deal.
The Plaiœ, Which -feedS
_
mainly on
_
and-is“ of
1 a.restful
digests
-s10wly and thus
has something inside it; ' but the
Herring are frequently empty.
The best
feeding“ times for the
of
.
temperate climates are when
_thè'tideS
=
.
.’
__When restin‘g, it“ is_ poèsible‘ that the nerves,relax and
_
.—she_s_—;sleep',i but they,have.noeyelidS and.it is 'notaeasy" to
_‘;Saÿ ;Whether‘fthe blàhk-stàre
aquarium means
i
_
not =Th6Ï
-
;
ThIS Was
;to
and
'
morereeentlyMobms andHemcke kept fa ‘Wràsse (Cteno—
'
=tankï 'and‘;;observed that it r'etired
’
-w“entto sleep lyihg on its side.
,
One of the
tueksits young into its mouth
-
and=èv‘èn if they do nots—leep,Ï for we cannot
j well-observewhat they do,
that they ought
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'
—
—:’
'.
.
-
Â
,
‘
_
freshwater shes Some '—peCuliar modes of
'
_obtaining—._food…-haVe been“ developed. That ïnahy *sh0uld
grub among the müd and eat debris, is
altogèthér
'