ANGLER FISHES GILL. 599 



may be visited by animals, some of which are liable to be attracted 

 by the expectation of a tit-bit, or by curiosity, sufficiently near to be 

 engulfed for food. Selecting a fitting place, such as a fissure or inter- 

 vale between neighboring masses, just wide enough to get into and 

 hold on to, a fish may assume an oblique or vertical position, some- 

 times looking downward, sometimes with head upward ; it then uses 

 its pectoral fins to obtain a good purchase on the rock — a foothold or 

 rather a finhold — and can thus remain stationary indefinitely. 



A living fish, the La'otali of the Samoans {Antennarius coccineus) , 

 was carried to Whitmee and consigned to an aquarium. 



It was brought in a cocoaniit shell with A'ery little water, and its stomach 

 was greatly distended with air. When put into the aquarium it was some 

 minutes before it could sinli. It struggled hard to get down, and as the air 

 was discharged it went down and immediately attached itself, in a vertical 

 position, to a block of coral by means of its pectoral and ventral fins. These 

 were distended, and looked very much as if they served the purpose of sucking 

 disks (like the united ventrals of the Gobidw) as well as answering in place 

 of feet. 



When attached it held on firmly and was with difficulty disengaged. 

 Natives assured "Whitmee that they had "taken up a block of coral 

 with this fish attached," and had " great difficulty in shaking it off." 



An example of another species, the Antennarius multiocellatus^ in 

 the main behaved like the La^otali^ but assumed a different attitude. 

 It was taken to "Wliitmee out of the water and had been out several 

 minutes. 



It seemed somewhat exhausted, but soon recovered when placed in the water. 

 It affected a singular position. It moved occasionally from one place to an- 

 other, and evidently preferred a position between two coral blocks near to- 

 gether. Here it planted its ventrals firmly on the sand at the bottom of the 

 aquarium, while it fixed its pectorals in the manner of disks, on the sides of the 

 blocks of coral between which it was stationed, and raised its posterior extrem- 

 ity at an angle not far from the vertical. 



In this position it reminded Whitmee 



of the antics of " city Arabs " who walk on their hands with their legs in the 

 air; its posture was almost exactly that assumed in such an exercise. The 

 caudal fin was bent over toward the dorsal and in a line with it, while the 

 anal was brought almost into line with the major axis of the body, occupying the 

 position belonging to the caudal. Whenever it fixed itself for any length of 

 time, it was always in this position, and in that attitude it angled with the 

 ciliated anterior dorsal for some of the small fish in the aquarium. 



"\Mien the sea toads attempt to swim, in the familiar words of 

 "Wliitmee, they " cut a poor figure." The Antennarius coccineiis 

 " prepared to walk where it coidd," but only enough to go a short dis- 

 tance from one position to another. 



Although highly carnivorous, as their oral structure indicates, they 

 are not active hunters, but wait till their victims come sufficiently 

 near to be seized. Their presence is disguised by accommodation to 



88292— SM 1908 39 



