296 \ A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



The eyes of the fish, which is one of the Gobies, are remark- 

 ably prominent, projecting directly upwards from the skull, 



PERIOPHTHALMUS KOLREUTERI. 



On land ; in act of leaping. 



The fish in mangrove swamps often sits on the lower branches 

 and roots. From what I have seen of its habits, I should expect 

 that it would be drowned by long immersion in water. The 

 Fijian species is Periophthafomis Kolreuteri. Dr. Giinther, in 

 his description of the genus, remarks : " these fishes are able to 

 progress out of the water, on humid places, and to hunt after 

 their prey which consist of terrestrial insects," &c* 



The natives of Matuku were mostly regular Fijians, though 

 there were some pure Tongans amongst them, immediately to be 

 distinguished by their use of the forehead muscles in expression. 

 There is no doubt also mixed blood in the island. The houses 

 of the people were miserably dirty, and built on filthy black 

 muddy flats close to the sea. 



I saw a boy make his way over a mangrove swamp, with 

 remarkable rapidity, by crawling over the tops of the mangrove 

 roots, and thus avoiding the mud below. Just so, the coast 

 natives in parts of New Guinea are said to traverse the low 

 swampy shore. 



In dredging off Matuku Island, in 320 fathoms, on a coral 

 bottom, some Phorus, Tim*itello Jy and a few other shells were 

 brought up, as well as numerous specimens of the blind crusta- 



* Dr. A. Giinther, " Brit. Mus. Cat., Fishes," Vol. III. p. 97. 



