THE ANIxMAL LIFt: OF THE GROUP. 357 



two species each. This fact indicates the divei'sity of foi'm found in the family. 

 They inhabit mountain streams and brackish water, and are common in pools 

 along the shore and in shallow water generally, but they never go far out to 

 sea. The largest species rarely exceed eight or ten inches in length, while 

 man.y of the small forms are only an inch or so long when full grown. 



Oopu, in combination with specific terms, is the name applied by the Ha- 

 waiians to a great number of species of gobies. They are carnivorous in habit, 

 and are exceedingly interesting and active little creatures. One of the common 

 forms ^'' is a dirty-brown color throughout and attains a length of nine inches. 

 They somewhat resemble the common catfish in shape and color, and are 

 plentiful in fresh brackish and shallow water. The natives often capture 

 them in large numbers from the streams by the use of the fish poison previously 

 referred to. The practice is to divert the stream from its usual course so as 

 to leave a series of small shallow pools along its bed. The poison is then freely 

 used in the crevices and under stones where the oopu hide. In a few minutes 

 the fish come to the surface in a stupefied condition, when the native fishermen, 

 both old and young, join in gathering them into their baskets and calabashes. 



A species known as Eviota epiplianes is a very small oopu common in the 

 shallow water at Waikiki. It attains the length of about three-fourths of an 

 inch. Another abundant and wide ranging species of oopu is Mapa fuscus, 

 which is very dark in color with black marblings and brown edges to the 

 scales. 



A curious oopu "" is dark greenish-olive with the back and upper parts 

 crossed with fourteen black bars. They have the pectorals united to form a 

 curious disk on the chest. This species is abundant in certain Hawaiian moun- 

 tain streams, and is able to cling to the rock in the I'ush of the mountain 

 torrent. They are strictly a fresh-water fish, attaining the length of five to 

 seven inches, and are sometimes caught and used for food. Two closely- 

 related oopus -1 are common in fresh-water streams of the islands and are 

 taken in numbers sufficient to make them common objects in the Honolulu 

 markets. One species -^ is olivaceous in color, crossed with a dozen black 

 bars. It has a black patch below the eye, and its belly is red while its 

 cousin 23 is olivaceous, marked with obscure dusky blotches, and lias the belly 

 pale and with a dark blotch at the base of the tail. 



The Plying-Gun.vrd. 



The flying-gunards -* are striking fish resembling the common flying-fish 

 in the very large wing-like pectoral fins, but differing from them in many 

 respects, among others in having the head and body decidedly quadrangular in 

 form and bony in structure, and by having two separate spines in front of the 

 two dorsal fins. The tail fin ends squarely, while the tail in the flying-fish is 

 always forked. The lolo-oau^s is not very abundant, and as a result when a 

 specimen appeal's in the market it is an object of considerable curiosity. Speci- 



-" Siri/dium slimijsuiii. -' A iiiiiiii.t sljp. --Aunoiis uniirillutus. 



■* Cephalacanthida;. -^ Cepfiitliiranthius orU'iitnlis. 



