SHORE FISHES. 247 



In all probability the first species we shall see in the pool is 

 the Smooth Blenny or Shanny (Blennius pholis), which the 

 boys in my neighbourhood (South Cornwall) call Janny, and 

 in other districts it is the Mulligranoc. It is a true rock-fish, 

 never venturing into very deep water, and preferring those 

 pools between tide-marks where it can find convenient shelter 

 in holes, or if so inclined can climb out and pass a few hours 

 under the moist weeds which the ebbing tide has left un- 

 covered. But it is never many inches from the water, and on 

 the least sign of alarm it is in the pool and invisible. 



In many respects it is a clumsy, heavy fish, but its quick 

 intelligence makes up for defects of form and we may add, 

 makes it an interesting fish to keep in a shallow pan with a few 

 stones. You must have the stones if you would have the 



Shanny comfortable, for he is strongly averse to too much 

 publicity. He likes to see and not be seen ; and his favourite 

 attitude, so far as I have observed a number of specimens in 

 confinement, is on his side under a stone, with the head just 

 peeping out. In this position he appears to have one eye on 

 the floor of the tank, the other on the surface of the water. 

 Look at him and he follows your every movement with one 

 eye. In this position he reminds me strongly of a dog; 

 indeed, in certain aspects of his profile his head much re- 

 sembles that of a dog. He acts like a dog, too, when he has 

 taken a limpet unawares, and has wrested it from the rock. 

 This is not an easy thing for a fish to do, and you might 

 almost as well speak of taking a limpet off-guard as of 



