Miscellaneous. Bou 
into a tank of the aquarium. When, after the lapse of fourteen 
and even eight and twenty hours, I have brought them back to 
within a short distance from their abode, they have always found 
it again. I have taken a male watching over his offspring and set 
him at liberty forthwith, at a distance of 12 metres from the float- 
ing plank in which he had established his nest; this plank was 
surrounded by a large number of others, pointing in all directions 
and immersed at different levels ; nevertheless, after a certain time, 
he was back again at his post. Another male, placed in the same 
conditions, was transported to a distance of 28 metres from his nest, 
and returned to it an hour and a half afterwards. A third, in order 
to return to his ova, was obliged to cross the pool, which is 50 metres 
wide. These facts, and others besides which I shall shortly publish, 
indicate in Blennius sphynv a very great development of memory 
_ and an attachment to his ova which is quite remarkable. 
If sand, gravel, shells, or objects of any kind be introduced into 
his dwelling or placed so as to block up his door, the male removes 
them to a distance by carrying them in his mouth. 
He always enters his hole backwards, first introducing into it the 
extremity of his tail, upon which he proceeds to haul by bending it 
so as to gain a hold upon the walls of his dwelling. He savagely 
pursues the shrimps, which infallibly devour his ova if he is 
imprudent enough to leave them too long. He also furiously 
chases the fish which pass near his hole, especially the other males, 
and follows and bites them, if they do not flee to a sufficient 
distance. 
To witness a battle it is not necessary to await the advent of 
another male. As a matter of fact, if we take a mirror and alter- 
nately bring it near to and withdraw it from the guardian of a nest, 
we easily succeed in convincing him that he is attacked by one of 
his fellows; he then issues from his retreat, and flies at his own 
image, striking his snout violently against the mirror, and does not 
cease until his imaginary adversary is withdrawn. 
Blennius Montagui is very abundant at Banyuls-sur-Mer. It is 
easily captured with the hand on searching the clefts of rocks at no 
great depth, which are clothed with shore sea-weeds. My observa- 
tions, made in April 1892, were conducted upon specimens living in 
captivity in a tank of the aquarium at the Arago laboratory. 
The male, like that of Blennius sphyna, is alone burdened with 
the care of the ova. He establishes his nest beneath a stone which 
is hollowed out on the underside. 
When a gravid female passes near his domicile, he darts towards 
her, agitates his whole body very rapidly in order to attract her 
attention, and even brushes her with the tip of his snout; if he is 
unsuccessful he returns to his nest : he constantly raises and lowers 
the whole anterior portion of his body, and sways at the same time 
to the right and left; then he returns towards the female, and 
excites her afresh. If the latter allows herself to be tempted, she 
enters the nest with him, turns over with her ventral side upper- 
most, and deposits her ova on the roof of the nest, in a layer which 
covers a large area of it. 
