FKECKLED GOBY. 219 



junction with the habits of the little feeble fish, as a 

 special provision for its safety, ordained by Him whose 

 tender mercies are over all His works. The eyes are 

 very prominent, and set in very thick and dark orbits ; 

 the pupil is surrounded by a crimson iris. Great 

 size and prominence of the eyes is quite characteristic 

 of the fishes of this family. It may be that their 

 habitual residence in the shallows exposes them pecu- 

 liarly to the attacks of enemies ; and the size of 

 the eye may be connected with a greater power or 

 quickness of sight, indicating a proportionate de- 

 velopment of the optic nerve. But this is only a 

 conjecture. 



The pectorals, as usual, are large, but quite colour- 

 less, and hence can scarcely be discerned, or only like a 

 film of clear talc. The two dorsals are ordinarily car- 

 ried, when at rest, depressed quite down to the back, 

 but are elevated in swimming. The tail is crossed 

 vertically by bands of red dots. Like most of the sand- 

 loving creatures, the Freckled Goby does not long sur- 

 vive captivity in a tank. Perhaps, however, this may 

 be because our aquariums are not specially arranged 

 with a view to their instincts. A very wide shallow 

 vessel, with a bottom of sand, and a piece or two of 

 rough rock for shadow, stocked with Freckled Gobies, 

 Weavers, Sand-launces, Shrimps, Yenuses, Naticas, etc., 



