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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



species belong, one finds a type of re- 

 action from which those just mentioned 

 probably have been derived. There are 

 small blennies, of which Actaeis moorei 

 is perhaps an example, which do not 

 seem to have permanent habitations. In 

 an emergency they slip backward into 

 such tiny holes in the coral as may pre- 

 sent themselves. In this response there 

 is advantage the exploitation of which 

 seems to have resulted in the use of a 

 greater variety of refuges, their more 

 extensive employment by individuals, 

 and finally in their improvement, or 

 even in their construction, by their oc- 

 cupant. 



Of the largest fishes one sees little. 

 Sharks, fortunately for one's peace of 

 mind, are comparatively rare at the Tor- 

 tugas. Great barracudas, veritable sea 

 wolves, on the contrary, are common, 

 and frequently come swimming about, 

 but are rather shy. Occasionally a jew- 

 fish (Promicrops) six or seven feet long 

 may come out of hiding with its atten- 

 dant remoras, scrutinize its strange visi- 

 tor and withdraw, or one may chance 

 upon a sting ray bedded in the sand 

 with little more than its tail exposed. 

 In that case, if the water has been still 

 for some time, the bottom may be pitted 

 from repeated burials until it has the 

 appearance of having been walked over 

 with snowshoes. 



Some fishes so clearly establish them- 

 selves at definite places that one may go 

 to the same station day after day, or 

 after an absence of weeks, with almost 

 complete confidence that he will meet 

 well-known individuals within a few 

 minutes at most after his descent. The 

 acqiiaintance of particular fishes may 

 1)6 cultivated until they do such un- 

 heard-of things as eating from one"s 

 hand, and permitting one to take liber- 

 ties with them which would be quite 

 impossible in the beginning. A large 

 Kassau grouper more than twenty 

 inches in length manifested no alarm 

 upon attempted seizure. On the con- 

 trary, it would come for food I held in 



one hand, slij^ping an indefinite num- 

 ber of times through the fingers of the 

 other or from under the arm with 

 which I attempted to press it to my 

 side. It followed me about when I was 

 studying other fishes, nibbled at out- 

 turned pockets, was commonly under- 

 foot when I was seated, and was in gen- 

 eral so attentive that without recourse 

 to strategy it could scarcely be coaxed 

 far enough away to have its picture 

 taken. 



As one works repeatedly over the 

 same ground, continually extending 

 one's acquaintance, it gradually appears 

 that fishes of different species may es- 

 tablish relations with one another which 

 persist for days. Of such partnerships 

 one of the most interesting I observed 

 was between a red goatfish and a small 

 yellowtail which I saw a number of 

 times hunting for food together. Per- 

 haps, however, it would be more correct 

 to ascribe the initiative in forming the 

 association wholly to the latter, for it 

 seemed to reap all the advantages from 

 the existing arrangement. The former, 

 like others of its kind, went about ac- 

 tively stirring up the sand in search of 

 food, while its satellite stood by, ever 

 on the alert to dash after and snap up 

 the Crustacea routed out by its compan- 

 ion's fluttering barbels. 



The variet}^ in the coloration of the 

 fishes is an unfailing source of delight. 

 Whether one looks down upon them 

 through the glassy water, or whether 

 they float into one's field of view 

 through the circumambient haze, they 

 provoke recurrent expressions of admi- 

 ration. One is thrilled as by the beavity 

 of Aladdin's garden. 



To the bewildered gaze of the novice 

 the various forms flit back and forth 

 aimlessly on the whole, and all appear 

 to be doing much the same thing under 

 the same circumstances. No constant 

 difference in behavior is discovered 

 from species to species with which it 

 would seem reasonable that their color 

 might be correlated. As time passes, 



