CHAP. xvi. A JUMPING WRASSE. 335 



it jumped, jump after jump, until I was fully satis- 

 fied that there was no difference as to place ; after 

 which I put him again into his little aquarium. I 

 now observed, however, that the tail, which is pretty 

 large, was the chief and most important object used. 

 The head and shoulders were first raised a little, and 

 then, by a doubling of the tail, which acted as a kind 

 of spring, the animal was, by a slight jerk, enabled to 

 raise and propel itself forward, or to either side, and 

 not unf requently right over. In the water, too, when 

 touched with anything, instead of swimming away as 

 fish generally do, it merely leaped or jerked to one 

 side in order to avoid the annoyance. I am not 

 exactly aware whether this gymnastic performance 

 is a common propensity with this family of fishes or 

 not, but it was so with this specimen." 



After further observations, Edward came to the 

 conclusion that these little fishes were inhabitants 

 of our own seas, but that they differed from those 

 which Cuvier had described. He was of opinion that, 

 from the differences which he had observed between 

 the true Wrasses and the fish in question, it might 

 yet be necessary, after further investigation, to place 

 it in a new or siib-genus. In that case a portion of 

 the name would require to be changed, and until then, 

 Edward held that its name should be the "Micro- 

 scopical Wrasse of the Moray Firth." 



Another batch of little fishes which Edward sent 

 to Mr. Couch led to an interesting correspondence. 



