THE GOBIES AND SUCKERS. 365 



Not unlike the last, the Saury Pike is a much smaller 

 species. It is distinguished from small garfish of its own 

 Saury Pike size by the presence of finlets behind the 

 or Skipper, dorsal and anal fins, its smaller teeth, and its 

 bluer colour. As in the garfish, the young skipper has the 

 lower jaw much longer than in the adult ; and, also like 

 the garfish, its eggs are attached one to the other by long 

 filaments. 



The beautiful blue-and-silver Flying-fish, in which the 

 pectoral fins are developed into wings, finds its way into 

 our waters, if ever, at long intervals only ; in- 

 deed some caution is necessary in accepting its 

 recorded occurrences. In the first place, its action at the 

 surface is, especially when seen at some little distance, 

 not unlike that of the last, and might easily deceive those 

 who had never seen the real flying-fish. As regards the 

 examples cast up on the beach, it must be borne in mind 

 that few South Sea curios are brought over in greater num- 

 bers, and dried specimens, being easily blown about, might, 

 and doubtless do, get lost over the side in the confusion of 

 packing as the ship is getting near the British coast. At 

 the same time, there seems to be little doubt of the occur- 

 rence of living examples on our south-west coast. 



CHAPTER IX. THE GOBIES AND SUCKERS, 

 i. THE GOBIES. 



There appears to be some confusion as to the precise 

 nomenclature of these little fishes, and the following is 

 offered as an approximate list of British species. The 

 male guards the eggs, which are deposited in shells fixed 



