i8 4 FISHES OF AUSTRALIA. 



placed very close together and converted into a kind of cup- 

 shaped sucker, by the aid of which they are able to place 

 themselves in all sorts of apparently-"impossible" positions. 



Amongst the many Australian species, the following 

 might be mentioned as being either prominent or striking : 

 The Bridled Goby (Gobius bifrenatus),- the Striped 

 Gudgeon (Krefftius anstralis), the Carp-Gudgeon (Caras- 

 siops compressus}. the Mud - Skipper (Periophthalmus 

 australis) and the Eel-like Goby (Gobioides purpurascens} . 



The Bridled Goby : This pretty little Goby is an in- 

 habitant of the shores of New South Wales and Victoria. 

 It loves to dwell upon the mud-flats such as one finds in 

 the higher parts of Port Jackson (where by the way 

 it is known to the fishermen as "Mud-Gudgeon") and other 

 similar localities. Of the comparatively- few species of fishes 

 captured in the process of hauling with the "prawn-net'' 

 within these regions it is perhaps one of the most common. 



It is a very elongate fish ; the head being somewhat 

 round and tad-pole like, and having pretty bluish stripes 

 on each side of the face. The body becomes gradually 

 narrower as it approaches the tail, which is highly com- 

 pressed. The tail-fin is comparatively large and fan-like, 

 being in the male considerably produced. Here we have 

 one of those instances rather uncommon amongst fishes 

 in which it is possible to distinguish the sex of the fish by 

 external characters. 



The Bridled Goby grows to a length of from 5 to 6 

 inches exclusive of caudal filaments. 



The Gudgeons : Amongst the smaller species of our 

 Australian fresh-water fishes, perhaps the most abundant 

 are those usually styled "Gudgeons." The simple and con- 

 venient term "Gudgeon" is made to apply to the whole of 

 the known species as well as, I am sorry to add, several 

 others of a totally different character, which have no right 

 to the name whatever. Excepting, perhaps, regions of great 

 altitude, these Gudgeons are plentifully distributed in the 

 rivers, creeks and pools throughout the length and breadth 

 of Australia. They are all small fishes, the largest growing 

 to a length of 6 or 7 inches. People often mistake them 

 for the young of larger species, for instance, adults of the 



