THE SPOTTED GUNNELL 5 



So very often indeed a smooth blenny will hide 

 in a crevice which is left quite dry when the tide 

 begins to fall, and will stay there till it rises again, 

 perhaps eight or ten hours later. 



But the oddest thing about this little fish is that 

 it can move one of its eyes about without moving 

 the other ! Have you ever seen a chameleon ? If 

 so, you must have noticed how it will turn one of 

 its curious eyes, first in one direction, and then in 

 another, while the other eye remains quite still. 

 And the blenny can move its eyes in just the same 

 way, so that very often when one of them is looking 

 out in front the other will be looking out behind. 

 And then one will twist round and look upwards, 

 while the other twists round and looks down ! 



If you succeed in catching a smooth blenny, you 

 can always tell it from the other fishes which live 

 in the rock-pools by the deep notch in the middle 

 of the fin which runs along its back. 



PLATE II 



THE SPOTTED GUNNELL (2) 



Another small fish which is very common in the 

 rock-pools is the Spotted Gunnell. It is often 

 known as the "butter-fish," and if you try to 

 catch it you will very quickly learn the reason 

 why; for it will slip between your fingers just 

 as if it had been smeared all over with butter. 



