99 



"behaviour was very striking, especially when two Stumpnose 

 with their large staring eyes under a high forehead were thus 

 occupied. The KHp-fish apparently were not put out by this 

 attention, but lay perfectly still. 



Occasionally a Red-stumpnose was procured in the trawl 

 with an abnormally-protruding forehead, projecting far beyond 

 the eyes. It has been shown in the case of some fresh water 

 fishes that this is due to an accumulation of reserve fatty 

 matter, and this is so in the Red-stumpnose, as shown in the 

 accompanying figure. The fish is known amongst Cape fisher- 

 men as the Red-stumpnose, or Rooi Stumpneus. At Knysna 



Red Stumpnose (Chrysofhrys gibbiccps, C. & V.). 



it appears to be called the Michael or Michiel for a reason 



that is not quite obvious. The eggs are small ( -88 82 mm.) 



and floating. 



The White Steenbras [Pagellus lithognathus, C. & V.) 



This is a fish provided also with crushing teeth, and it appears 

 to find its food in a similar locality to that of the Red-stump- 

 nose, but in a different way, and in mud instead of sand. They 

 have been observed in the same attitude as the Red-stumpnose, 

 the tail directed upwards and the head downwards. In this 

 position they grub round in the mud for what they find, a habit 

 for which the shape of the head region is admirably adapted ; 

 they have long pig-like snouts (at Mossel Bay the fish is called 

 the " Vark-bek," or Pig-mouth), the lips are somewhat pro- 

 truding and may act as sensory organs. I am told that 

 near Port Elizabeth they are sometimes shot in this position on 

 shallow mud banks. In the aquarium the fish does not ex- 

 hibit any specially interesting habits, and its main object in 

 life seems to be to procure food. It lives well in captivity 

 though its rate of growth did not appear to be rapid, fish about 

 7 inches in length increasing to about a foot in three years. 



[C.P. 6-'i4.] 



