FIJI-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 57 
among the nudibranch mollusks, some of which were as gorgeous” 
as ean be imagined. 
In the following survey of the reef fauna I merely attempt to 
give some idea as to the general facies of the region from a 
zoological standpoint, pausing occasionally to dwell upon some of 
the more interesting forms. The identifications are usually merely 
approximate, unless otherwise stated. In the descriptions of some 
of the more striking animals, I have preferred to work indepen- 
dently rather than to look up the descriptions of other naturalists. 
In this way I hope to impart in the forms discussed an interest 
that would be lacking if numerous references were cited. 
THE FISHES 
Carcharius melanopterus. This is the ‘‘devil shark,’’ the eap- 
ture of which was described in the last chapter. In color it is a 
light greenish-brown, almost white below, the tips of the fins 
abruptly black, and this color also edges almost the entire tail, 
especially below. The specimen captured was a young one between 
four and five feet in length. According to our Fiji reef man they 
grow much larger and are dangerous to man. We were surprised 
to find it very good eating, one of the best fish that came on our 
table while at Makuluva. 
The Murenide, or morays, were quite common on the flats and 
we saw several during an hour’s walk when the tide was out. They 
slithered through the shallow pools with remarkable agility and 
we were constantly being astounded at the small size of the holes 
and fissures that they were able to enter. There were evidently 
a good many passages under the flat surface of the rocks as one 
of these eels would slip into a small crevice and often emerge some 
distance away. Many of these morays are protectively colored 
and assimilate well with the surface and rock masses. The larger 
ones are really formidable animals and more fearless than any 
other fish that I know. An incident illustrating this point is re- 
lated in my ‘‘Barbados-Antigua Expedition’’, page 178. We made 
no attempt to secure the larger specimens on account of our limit- 
ed space. The following species may be noted: 
Gymnothorar. This is the largest specimen brought home by us, 
being a little more than three feet long. It seems nearest my 
namesake G. nuttingi Snyder from the Hawaiian Islands; but in- 
stead of having light spots on a dark background it has very dark, 
almost black, spots on a yellowish background. The mottling is 
