“What!” I cried. “Have we taken alive an inhabitant of the seas of primitive ages?”

“Yes; and you will observe that these fossil fishes have no identity with any living species. To have in one’s possession a living specimen is a happy event for a naturalist.”

“But to what family does it belong?”

“It is of the order of ganoids, of the family of the Cephalaspidae; and a species of Pterichthys . But this one displays a peculiarity confined to all fishes that inhabit subterranean waters. It is blind, and not only blind, but actually has no eyes at all.”