THE CAPE KLIP-FISHES. 2iy 



'execute this movement most rapidly and accurately, so that it 

 can seize the jaw or cheek of its opponent. The fighting attitude 

 is characteristic and is almost as expressive as that of the higher 

 animals; the gill-covers are distended displaying the ocellated 

 spots of the operculum, the crest and fins expanded to their 

 utmost and the eyes have an expressive gleam which one would 

 hardly expect to see in a fish. The threatening attitude generally 

 lasts from a quarter to half a minute, after which the attack is 

 made so rapidly that the details of what took place cannot be 

 followed, the scars left on the side of the head or jaws being the 

 onlv evidence that any damage had been done ; the attack seems 

 to be simultaneous, but a fraction of a second would of course 

 be of the greatest importance at such close quarters (about a 

 quarter of an inch). The final settlement was seldom seen, but 

 it was generally decisive, the defeated fish being sometimes so 

 exhausted after the fight that it fell an easy prey to some of the 

 large starfish in the tank. 



On two occasions combats between Klip-fish of another spe- 

 cies were witnessed, and are of interest as showing a totally dif- 

 ferent mode of procedure. The species in question (C. cottoides) 

 is also one of the commonest forms and very abundant in shallow 

 pools ; it is smaller than C. siiperciliosus and of a difterent form, 

 the head being relatively broader, and it is not characterised by 

 the same brilliancy of colour, being generally a dull gray with a 

 conspicuous large spot on the gill-cover. The species does not 

 exhibit the same sexual phenomena as in C. siiperciliosus, and 

 the cause of the quarrel in the particular case noted was un- 

 known; two of these fish were seen making violent movements 

 in a cloud of sand in the corner of the tank and, on closer 

 examination, they were found to be in fierce combat. As in the 

 previous case mentioned, the attack was not made indiscri- 

 minately, but onlv after a certain position had been taken up. 

 Here the combatants were directly face to face, the mouth of each 

 was dilated to its utmost extent, and the gill-covers projected 

 almost at right angles to the head, bringing into view the large 

 black opercular spots w'hich, viewed from in front, looked like a 

 pair of eyes on a very large head ludicrously out of proportion 

 to the small (about 8 cm.) and rather feeble body, but doubtless 

 sufficiently terrifying when viewed from in front by any animal 

 of the same size. The tail was sharply flexed so that the body 

 could be suddenly projected forwards. Thus prepared, the com- 

 batants rushed at each other, the main object apparently being 

 to open the mouth wide enough to seize the upper and lower jaw 

 of the antagonist ; after the first rush the fight became for a 

 moment indiscriminate, any part being seized when a cRance was 

 given ; this lasted only for a few seconds, when the fighf became 

 orderly as before. After a few rounds of this nature one of the 

 combatants showed less interest in the proceedings and quietly 

 backed away, still, however, in a threatening attitude. 



Opportunities are occasionally afforded in the Aquarium tanks 

 for observing, to a limited extent, the earlier stages in the life 

 of our marine fauna. On more than one occasion a small group 

 of transparent little fish made their appearance in one of the 



