475 



CLIMBING SPARUS. 



Sparus Scandcns. S. otivaceits, subtus Jlav escens, oculis aureis. 

 Olive-green Sparus, with yellowish abdomen, and gold- coloured 



eyes. 

 Perca scandens. Lin. Trans. 3. p. 62. 



LENGTH about a span: skin covered by a blackish 

 mucus ; dorsal fin occasionally sunk in a longitudi- 

 nal fossule : it has seventeen spiny, and eight soft 

 rays : the pectoral fins have twelve rays : the vent- 

 ral six, the tail eighteen, of which ten are spiny, 

 the rest soft. 



This fish is remarkable for its power of climbing, 

 which it performs by the assistance of the spines 

 of its gill-covers, moving itself at pleasure up the 

 stems of trees growing near the waters it frequents. 

 In this situation it was observed in the month of 

 November 1791 at Tranquebar, by Lieutenant 

 Daldorff, who communicated its description to Sir 

 Joseph Banks. It was seen ascending a fissure in the 

 stem of the palm called Borassusflabell'ifer, growing- 

 near a pool of water, and was observed to move itself 

 forwards by alternately applying the spiny sides of 

 the gill-covers to the sides of the fissure, assisting 

 itself at the same time by the spines on each side 

 the tail, and had already ascended to the height of 

 more than five feet above the water when it was 

 first observed : it was found to be very tenacious 

 of life, moving about on dry sand, many hours after 

 it was taken. The spines of the gill-covers are con- 

 sidered by the natives as of a poisonous nature. 



