as the akamaeu, Q^li-aa.il. and pmachl are almost always found outside the reef, 

 although from time to time they come inside in pursuit of reef- fishes. The 

 moray eels, mebaru. kuchiku. and balloonfish occur in large numbers inside 

 the reef, Morays e^-e more abundant in the northern half of the area while 

 the kuchiku occurs more abundantly in the southern half<, The east coast of 

 the island has a high surf and is dangerous so the investigations had to be 

 confined to the western shores. 



3. VieTfB on the Dissection of Poisonous Fishes 



Me thod of cpllection . The fish were collected in depths of several fathoms 

 and were all taken with a spear. Consequently the heads or bellies were 

 damaged and this made it difficult to exainine the organs properly when the 

 fish were dissected. 



(1) Ipachiku 



Stomach contents ... gravel (coral fragments) only, slight indications 

 that seaweed had been eaten. Gonads iimnatiire. 



(2) akamasu 



Stomach contents ... Miscellaneous small fish which were almost completely 

 digested and therefore shapeless. Gonads immature. 



(3) Balloonfish 



Stomach contents ... gravel only 

 Gonads ... immature 



(il) Moray eel 



Stomach contents . . . Small fish had been eaten but they war© unrecognizable 

 Gonads . . . Some specimens were seen which had rather ripe gonads. 



In addition to these species some foodfishes such as the muro and the 

 o.liaan (a goatfish) Eerc dissected for purposes of comparison, 



Huroa.1 i r Pecaoterus sp,} 



Stomach contents ... In most cases the stomach ?ras almost empty. 

 Gonads . . , Immature 



CUsan (Goatfish) 



Stomach contents ... f^scellaneous small fish 

 Gonads . . . Some specimens had rather ripe gonads. 



In general the examination of the ston^ach contents of these fishes showed 

 almost nothing which could be thought to be food. Most of the stomachs were 

 filled with broken fragments of coral and small fish were encountered only 

 rarely. Observations of the sea bottom showed that it was as clean swept as 

 a park and as bare as a desert with nothing in sight which conld serve as 

 food. The relationship between the fishes and the plankton could not be in- 

 vestigated because of the lack of facilities. The season for thn ripening of 

 the gonsds differs, of course, between different species, but in most of* the 

 poisonous species the gonads were immature. 



193 



