until, on returning to the original locality, the sounds were at once renewed.

The beautiful paradise fish, which in China is kept, like the gold fish, in aquaria, is one of the most interesting of the finny tribe. They spawn in captivity much more readily than gold fishes.

For experiment two females and one male were put in a tank. The former soon selected for themselves certain corners, where they received the visits of the male. Soon the females commenced to play with each other. When the male approaches the female it spreads its tail and fins, as can be seen in our illustration, and takes a darker hue, while the female adopts a nearly perpendicular position, holds up its fins as far as possible,

and turns around on its own axis, after the male takes a similar position, but in the opposite direction as the left part of our illustration shows. In this case they playfully turn around each other, and the male trembles; often the female imitates these trembling motions.

Sometimes a disagreement occurs between the male and female, and then the male treats the latter in a most cruel and brutal manner, biting her fins, tearing out her eyes and even killing her. The paradise fish is of a reddish and greenish hue.

In the Mediterranean, wherever the coast is rocky, the sea-butterfly is never missed; it is occasionally found in the Atlantic Ocean. Its flesh is without a taste and is therefore only eaten by the poorer classes. The

head and fore-part are large, and somewhat blunt in appearance. It has a large dorsal fin, with a large colored mark like that of a butterfly; and other parts of the body are embellished with variegated colors, combining to make this one of the most remarkable of the finny tribes. It may properly be classed among the butterflies of the ocean.

Fishermen have given several names to another beautiful fish, one of which, the bridegroom, proves that they recognize its beauty. It is found in deep water; it very seldom leaves its regular place, and if it does so, it soon returns to it. Like the cat, it lays in wait for its prey, then suddenly attacks it, and never undertakes a second attack, if it misses the first time. The fish has a very savory meat and is generally caught with drag nets.

There are countless swarms of moths which come out, on a summer's evening, when it is getting dusk. They have lain hidden all day; but no sooner is the sun down, than myriads issue forth to look for prey. They are called night-flying insects.

There are some little creatures in the sea, that are very much like insects, and have the same habits as the moths; they have been called the winged insects of the deep. And another name has been given to them; they are called wing-footers, because they whirl about, as if they had wings. These wings are two fin like flaps, which proceed from the foremost part of the body. In reality the flaps are only one organ. A bundle of muscular fibre passes through the neck, and spreads out at each side like a paddle.

These little creatures have no foot to creep on, or arms to seize their prey. But they have a distinct head, as the cuttle-fish has. Sometimes the head is hidden in a thin transparent shell. When the animal is alarmed, it draws its wings, and, indeed, its whole body, into the shell. But though the wing-footer seems to sport about, and be so innocent and harmless, it is furnished with an array of weapons that can scarcely be surpassed. Let us take one of the tribe-the little clio, on which the whale feeds and look at it through a microscope. What are those six feelers that project from its head? And why are they of that red and speckled hue? Look more closely, and you will see that a number of tiny points are dotted all over them. There may be thousands of these points. Each point or speck is a sucker, like that of the star-fish. And it can be pushed out, and can seize hold of its prey in the same manner. When the little clio does not want its weapons, it draws them in, and they lie hidden and protected by a kind of sheath that covers them.

Look a little further, and you will see a mouth furnished with sharp horny teeth, that have a metallic lustre, and shine in the sun. The tongue has hooked spines on it, that curve backwards, like those of the cuttlefish, and help to drag the food down into the stomach. The merry little clio is terribly armed, and when twilight comes, hosts of these little creatures whirl about in search of prey. They dance merrily on the waves, sinking and rising, and seeming to be full of gambols. The sea is alive with them, but their gambols do not last long. Before the morning dawns, they have disappeared, and no trace of them is to be seen.

CHAPTER VI.

SINGULAR VARIETIES OF FISHES.

Amazing Contrasts in Ocean Life –The Great Sword Fish-Vast Si e and Power—A Creature Armed for Destruction-Formidable Weapon of the Sword Fish-A Sword Left in the Timber of a Ship-The Whale's Great Enemy-The Ocean Bat---Peculiar Attitude in the Water-Arms and Fins Combined-A Creature of Hideous Ugliness-The Slender Pipe Fish-The Needle of the Sea-Strange Pouch for Carrying Eggs-Color of the Pipe Fish-A Dried Curiosity-SeaHorse-Body Clad with Mail-Tail that Grasps-Short-Nosed HippocampusPeculiarities of the Short-Nose-The Skate-An Enterprising Digger-Elegant White Fins-The European Sting Ray-A Bag for the Infant Fish-The ScaDevil-A Fish that Angles-Singular Method of Capturing Prey-The Extraordinary Tape Fish-A Beautiful Marine Animal-Great Length of the Tape Fish -The Sea Cat-Silvery Color-Wonderful Healing Oil-Flat Fish-TurbotPlaice-Flounder-Sole-Spiny Sea-Porcupine-Globe Fish-Sun Fish-The Sturgeon-An Ocean Delicacy-A Fish Fond of Mud.

N

O one can examine the forms of life in the mighty ocean without being impressed with the marked varieties and contrasts constantly presented. Fishes of every shape, size, and manner

of existence, have engaged the attention of the naturalist, and here, as everywhere in the great realm of nature, the farther he pursues his investigations the more wonderful do the discoveries become. One of the singular creatures of the sea, concerning which a volume might be written, is the sword-fish.

Sword-fishes are very large and powerful animals; they often grow to the length of twenty feet and more. They are very voracious and attack and destroy almost every living thing that comes in their way. They belong to a family of marine spiny-rayed fishes, allied to the mackerels and are so called from the prolongation of the snout into a long horizontally flattened sword-like weapon. The sword consists of a long, strong bone, projecting from the nasal part of the head, and is capable of doing immense damage to any animal which is so unfortunate as to cross the path of this savage monster of the sea.

The common sword fish is found in the Mediterranean and on both sides of the Atlantic; it uses its sword to destroy its enemies and sometimes strikes at vessels, burying its weapon deep in their timber. When the British ship "Leopard," after her return from the coasts of Guinea and the West Indies, was being refitted and cleaned, the ship