THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 361 



ranging' forni they are known to Eurojjeans generally as Moorish idt)ls.i They 

 are quite common alioiit tlic ll;i\vaiinti reefs, where their y('lh)\v bodies crossed 

 by broad black bands, and tlie long plume-like dorsal tin render them especially 

 conspicuous even among their brilliant and beautiful associates. 



]\IORAYS. 



The morays - include an iiiipoi-tatit iiroup of Hawaiian fish that are distin- 

 guished from the true eels, with which they are closely related, by the presence 

 of the small round gill openings and by the absence of pectoral tins. ^lany of 

 the species reach a large size and are extremely voracious and pugnacious. As 

 they are especially abundant in holes in the coral reefs and not infrequently 

 spring out and bite the hand of even the experienced fisherman, it is just as well 

 for the stranger to bear them in mind when on wading expeditions. Too often 

 it has happened that underneath the most innocent looking tlat coral stone ex- 

 posed at low tide there has been hidden one of these snake-like fishes. If they 

 choose to do so they can resent any intrusion from the merely curious in an un- 

 expected and painful manner, that is long remembered by the oft'ender. 



Six genera of morays have so far been identified from the waters about the 

 islands. Of the forty-two species of morays found here no fewer than eighteen 

 belong to the genus Cynuudliova.r. The puhi laumili ^^ is one of the most com- 

 mon as well as most savage of these. They are not infrequently taken with large 

 fish in their stomachs, sometimes a fourth as long as the moray itself. It ranges 

 in length up to three feet or more, is variously mottled and naturally is nnich 

 feared by the natives. 



One of the fiercest of all the c^el tribe is the moray known as pnhi kapa,^ so 

 called because it is said to be victorious over all kinds of fish. In life it is a i)ale 

 greyish-white covered with irregular dark-brown areas with crcmie-yellow spots; 

 the bars between these areas, when present, are gray and brown. It is rejjorted 

 by the natives that this eel goes ashore in the grass at night and will wi^izle 

 back into the water when disturbed. 



The members of the order Apodes, to which the eel-like fishes b(>N)nu-, are 

 very well represented in Hawaii, there being several dozen species, that usually 

 differ one from the other only by slight characteristics. ^lost of tlie larger species 

 are much used as food by the llawaiians. The fiesh of the morays. howevei-. is 

 oily and not readily digested and on the wh()le is not so wholesome as the fiesh 

 of the true eels. 



The ^Mackerel Fa.mh.v. 



Eight species of the mackerel family"' occur in Hawaiian waters, includinu 

 representatives of the frigate-mackerel, little tunnies, ocean honito. .Mhacoivs 

 and Petos. The opelu, or true mackerel.'' the aku. oc ocean liniiiid.' and the ahi,^ 

 all belony- to different genera in the mackerel family. They all vow the sea. 

 usually in large schools, and have a wide range. While they diffei' in outline 

 considerably, in the different genera, they are all ■'niackei'el-shaped"' and are 



^ ZanrUihv. - M}tr(i'nid(r. ' Gymnnthnrn.v iindiilatiix. * Echidna nehulosa. 



° Scoinhridiv. " .Scomber japonicus. ' Gyiniionarda pelamis. * Germo gcrmo. 



22 



