284 GOBY HUNTING. 



the rays. But how strange is this ! Was he not, 

 then, black before? How could we have mistaken 

 his colour ? Nay ; it was no mistake. See ! he is 

 rapidly deepening in hue ; a few minutes, and he is 

 black again, black all over, with the exception of the 

 yellow half of his dorsal, which remains unchanged, 

 and comes out ah 1 the finer for the bolder contrast : 

 not a trace of the mottled bands can now be dis- 

 cerned, except slightly on the fins ; but the black- 

 ness, which has become intense, has now assumed a 

 superficial bloom or flush of fine indigo-blue, just 

 like an untouched plum, or black Hambro' grape. 

 This remarkable change of colour seems to depend 

 on mental emotions. Alarm or sudden terror will in 

 an instant cause the gray tint to be put on, while the 

 bloomy black indicates equanimity. 



The form of the fish, particularly that of the head 

 and face, and the expression, are totally different 

 from those of the two others. He puts on a vacant 

 stare, quite idiotic in aspect, whereas both his fellows 

 display a sort of intelligence. His lips are thick, his 

 cheeks fat, and his eyes enormous and staring. His 

 length is about four inches. 



This is the Black Goby. Now all these three 

 fishes are with us exceedingly common, notwith- 

 standing that Yarrell pronounces the last two to be 

 very rare. At all seasons I can turn up any, or all 

 of them, at an hour's notice, on Babbicombe Beach, 

 at low water of a good spring-tide ; and as they are 

 all three very readily preserved alive and in health, 



