1 40 FISHES OF AUSTRALIA. 



Perhaps the most interesting to us, are the curious little 

 Amphiprions, some of which actually live within the mouths 

 of some of the giant Sea-anemones, regardless of the sting- 

 ing tentacles of the latter, which, it may be added, appar- 

 ently have no effect upon these remarkable fishes, while 

 bodies of animals of the same or a larger size are constantly 

 seized by them and devoured. 



In this connection it will be of interest to quote Saville- 

 Kent's words, in his work on the Great Barrier Reef ; where, 

 in speaking of the two giant anemones Discosoma kenti and 

 Discosoma haddoni (the former of which reaches a diameter 

 of about 2 feet, while the latter is not much smaller) he 

 says: 



Fig. 53. AMPHIPRION (Amphiprion percula). 



"A phenomenon of high interest is associated with the 

 two giant anemones just described. Both of them, in point 

 of fact, act the part of hosts to other living organisms of 

 appreciable size; the guests comprising two species of fish, 

 and also a species of prawn. The larger species, Discosoma 

 kenti, almost invariably contains two or more specimens of 

 a percoid fish about three inches long, that is identical with 

 the Amphiprion percula of Lacepede. On thrusting a stick 

 into the oral orifice of the anemone, the fish swim out, but 

 return immediately to their residence within the gastric 

 cavity of their host on the removal of the disturbing missile. 

 The fish thus furnished with free lodgings by the anemone, 

 is notable for its brilliant colouration. The ground colour 

 in this type is a bright orange-vermilion, interrupted bv 

 three pearly-white cross-bands, which, as well as the edges 

 of the fins, are bordered with black. . . . The second species 

 of fish, Amphiprion bicinctus, that similarly lodges with 

 Discosoma haddoni, but dines out, presents the same orang'e- 



