Liberia "^ 



lower jaw. The barracuda pursues other fish of small size 

 with fury, and is no doubt very destructive. Its own flesh is 

 good to eat, at any rate in the opinion of the natives. 



Among other remarkable sea fish are the Marbled anglers, 

 with mouths that open upwards, and large, arm-like pectoral 

 fins. The naked skin is mottled in such a way as to give the 

 fish a protective coloration and enable it to assimilate closely to 

 the rocks amongst which it lies in wait for its prey. 



The Horse-mackerel of the family Carangida are very 

 abundant, especially along the eastern coast of Liberia and up 

 the Cavalla River. This broad boundary stream of Liberia, in 

 fact, derives its name from the Portuguese word for " horse- 

 mackerel," a fish with which the Portuguese were familiar on 

 their own coast and which they recognised on the bar of the 

 Cavalla River when exploring these West African coasts in the 

 fifteenth century. 



Grey mullet are abundant in Liberian waters, at any rate 

 during part of the year, also flying-fish {Exoccetus), and the 

 strange-looking gar-pike {Belone). The beautifully coloured 

 wrasses are represented by the genus Coris, and there are as 

 well flat-fish, pipe-fish (^Fistularia, reaching a length of six 

 feet), ribbon-shaped fish ('Iric/iiurus), remoras {Echeneis — the 

 small fish with the elaborate sucker on the top of its head which 

 affixes itself to sharks and other big fish), blennies or wolf-fish, 

 and the extraordinary Tetrodon, which can distend its spiny belly 

 into a huge disc. 



Allusion has already been made in the historical chapters 

 to the Sharks that infest the coast of Liberia. In all probability 

 these belong to the common genus Carcharias, but no speci- 

 mens having been sent home the existence of definite species has 

 not yet been established. Probably the blue shark is there 

 {Carcharias glaucus). 



830 



