204 AUGUST. 



Yet in truth he makes a funny little tenant of the 

 aquarium. His colours are agreeable ; deep rich brown 

 on the upper parts, fantastically patched and clouded 

 with various shades from black to pure white, while the 

 sides and belly are brilliantly silvery or opalescent. 

 His countenance expresses considerable intelligence ; 

 and the contrast between his aspect when he is alarmed, 

 and all his spines are laid flat, and when he thinks to 

 carry his point by bullying, and bristles up all his sharp 

 lances, and glares with a threatening goggle, is very 

 amusing. He presently becomes at home ; for a day 

 or two he skulks under the rocky ledges, and you see 

 little of him ; but soon his characteristic impudence 

 reassures him, and vires acquirit eundo ; he makes short 

 hasty sallies into the open, and instantly scuttles back 

 to his retreat ; presently you see his great head pro- 

 jecting out of some crevice in the rocks, whence he can 

 command a pretty extensive view ; and now that is his 

 selected home, and there henceforward you may pretty 

 surely find him, whenever he is not to be seen engaged 

 in predatory forays in some other quarter of the tank. 

 Now he grows very saucy ; not a Bleuny or Goby or 

 Pipe can come before his castle-gate but Proach must 

 dash out to have a passage-of-arms with him, return- 

 ing, in all the pride of conquest, when he has driven 

 the routed foe out of sight, to his rocky fortress, and 



