FISH AND riSHERIES. 27 



Gobies or Sea Gudgeons. 



These little carnivorous shore fishes give their name to the order to 

 which they belong. They are easily recognized by the peculiar form of 

 the ventral fins, which are united on each side so as to form a circular 

 funnel-shaped cavity. In one genus (Lepidogasfer, not known in 

 Australia) the united rays of the ventral fins form a flattened round disc 

 like a sucker. The centre of this disc is soft and flexible, so that the fish 

 can use the whole as a sucker, and thus adheres to rocks and stones 

 When attached the heaviest surf will not dislodge them. Hence it is 

 called the sucking-fish or lump fish, but not to be confounded with the 

 liemora, the sucking-fish which adheres to the shark. This belongs to the 

 mackerel tribe, and its sucking disc is on its head. The Gobies are 

 pretty equally distributed all over the temperate and tropical coasts, 

 and over 300 species have been described. They prefer rocky coasts, 

 because with their ventx-al fins they can adhere firmly to a rough surface 

 and defy the force of the waves. One British species lives, breeds, and 

 dies in one year, being like a plant, an annual. In this species also the 

 adult males have long teeth, while those of the female are very small ones. 

 Perhaps some of our own species have these peculiarities, and this is one 

 of the many fields where the Australian naturalists have a fine, easy, 

 and interesting opportunity for observation. On the confines of the 

 northern boundaries of New South Wales may be seen a very remark- 

 able Goby called the " Hopping-fish." The pectoral fins are developed 

 into regular legs, with which the fish hops or leaps along the mud flats 

 with the greatest rapidity. The eyes are on the top of the head, and 

 very prominent, and moreover they can be thrust very far out of their 

 sockets, and moved independently of one another*, thus the fish can see 

 long distances around, and overtake the small crabs in spite of the 

 long stalks to their optics. This fish is called Feriojihthalmus australis. 

 Cast. I have not included it in our list, for it is a tropical form, yet it 

 is said to be found on the mud-flats of the Richmond River. 



Callionymus or " Dragonets" are also gobies, of which we have three 

 species, all beautifully coloured marine fishes. In almost all the species 

 the mature males have the fin-rays prolonged into filaments, and the fin 

 membranes brightly ornamented. 



Blennies. 



We have in Australia a good number of these fishes, which are small 

 littoral forms, abundantly distributed on tropical and temperate coasts of 

 all countries. One of the principal characters of the family is the 

 ventral fin, which instead of being a prominent member, as amongst 

 gobies, is rudimentary or absent, and in any case has never more than 

 four rays. These fins are constantly jugular or in the throat, and either 

 have no function or become prongs, by means of which the fish move 

 rapidly along the bottom. The teeth are prominent, and in the Wolf- 

 fish [Anarrhicas lujjus), which attains a length of 6 feet, they are 

 really formidable. 



* This peculiarity they shai'e with many blennies, pipe-fish, and sea-horses 

 Hippocampi). 



