Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1893 — The Black Swallower. [ARTICLE]

The Black Swallower.

What a terrible, horrible animal a tiger would be were it able to swallow from eight to twelve times its own bulk! It seems impossible that there can be any creature able to do this, and yet, far down in the depths of the southern seas, there lives a tfsli knoWB -as the black swallower, which whole a fish eight to twelve f t?fihfes larger than Itself. Happily fqr the other inhabitants ot the sea the black there being hut three known specimens in the museums of the world, In appearance it is a slender, elongated fish of uniform thickness, from eight inches to a fetofe in length. The skin ,is without scales, the head somewhat cone-shaped, narrowing forward. Its fins end in spines, thus preventing it from becoming a dainty morsel for other fishes. The mouth Is that of a monster; it is very deeply cleft, extending behind the eyes, apd armed with many long, sharp-pointqcP and moveable teeth. Such is its appearance with an.eippty.gfomach. , m. Going about in search of food it’ espies another fish many times larger than itself. It, darts upon this fish from behind, seizes the tail, and gradually crawls over the struggling victim with its jaws, using first one and then the other. As the captive is taken in, the stomach and integments stretch out, until at last the entire fish is passed through the mouth into the stomach. Then the distended organ appears as a great bag, projecting out far backward and far forward. Over this horrible bag. and resting on it, the swallower seems to lie; the lower fins appear dislocated and lie far away from their usual position. The walls of the stomach have been so stretched that they are transparent, and the species of fish within can be discerned. Sometimes, three „timqs at least, suGh rapidity is more than the captor can stand. The fl9h within the stomach .begins to decompbse and gas is created. The black shallowerJs forced'over on its back*, when the imprisoned gas, as in a . balloon, takes it upward frotp the depths to the surfaqq, ql£ the |ea ! . Thus have the three «pe£imens beeq J( found floating on the* surface, tbous-. adds of fathoms above their true, haunts. In'each instance the fish’ ih Ihe stomach.has been about twice as long as the swallower, and froni six to twelve times bulkier. j a *