358 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



mens fourteen inches in length are sometimes eaught, and as their "winos"" 

 are almost as long as the body and are heaiitifnlly colored with blue and 

 brownish-red, they are with reason prononneed by nuiny as the most striking 

 and fautastie of the Hawaiian iishes. 



Headp^ish. 



The headtish,-" though mueh rarer, is equally striking and has been 

 classed among tli<' rarest and most wonderful of all animal forms. To the 

 natives it is known as the apahu, or to some as the niakua. It appears simply 

 as a large head separated from the body and supplied with a fringed tail. 

 They are fishes of the open sea and reach a very large size. As the tlesh is 

 coarse and toiigh, they are rarely bi-ought into market except as curiosities. 

 The cast of a very large specimen is on exhibition in the Bishop ^luseum. It 

 shows the beautiful coloring of brown and silver of the living fish. 



The headtish is known to the Hawaiian fisherman as the "king of all tlie 

 mackerel," and as it is supposed to be \nidei- the rule of the spirits,-' it is 

 feared that the mackerel will disappear if tlie tisli is killed. A similar tish in 

 the Atlantic is known as the king of the herrinu', and the local superstition is 

 doubtless colored by the influence of the early wha lei's and traders that called 

 at the islands. 



Curious tish known as the half-bills-'' are vei'v connnon in the markets, 

 where all thi-ee of the species that occur here may lie recognized at once by the 

 fact that the under jaw is singularly bill-shaped, while the upper jaw is 

 normal. ( M' the three species, the iheihe or me-me"e-'' is the must abundant 

 They are oviparous fishes and feed on green alg;e. The half-bills live in large 

 schools, usually near shore, and are especially numerous in the channels about 

 the ishnuls. 



H.vwAii.\N Herring. 



The makiawa,-'" so far as is known, is the only representative of the great 

 herring tribe-" to be found about Hawaii. It attains a length of about ten 

 inches and is (juite co)innon in the market at certain seasons. It is easily 

 identified by its herring-like shape and ajipearance. 



The family KuhUidcf is conspicuously represented in Hawaii by tlie ahole- 

 hole,''- a silvery, fish-shaped tish. witli the edge of the first dorsal and the 

 caudal fins narrowly edged with l)lack. They attain a length of ten inches 

 or more. This active fish is sure to attract notice, since it is common at the 

 mouths of the Hawaiian streams in both brackish and fresh water, but dwells 

 by i)refeieiice in I'unning water, where it may be found in the deeper pools. 

 It is a good tish and takes the hook readily, reseinblini;- the fresh-water sun-fish 

 of America in this regard. The natives soiuetinies e,-i|itiire them by use of thi' 

 narcotic plant described elsewhere. 



II l> lilts tli'i>niiin')'ntus. 



