1875.|. REV. S.J. WHITMEE ON THE GENUS ANTENNARIUS., 545 
The natives frequently get “stung” by the third dorsal spine of 
this fish, when they happen to pick up a block to which it is 
attached, before they are aware of its presence. It causes very 
great agony, which usually lasts several hours, and sometimes two or 
three days. Another fish, which I believe is also an Antennarius, 
but which I have not yet examined, produces effects much more 
alarming than this one. I have seen the hands and feet of natives 
swollen and greatly inflamed by a prick from the larger species, and 
have seen strong men weeping and groaning like children with the 
_ agony it caused. Sometimes the effect produced by a prick from 
this lasts for weeks. 
Two or three weeks after procurimg the fish described above, 
another living Antennarius was brought to me by one of my col- 
lectors. This, which has been likewise sent to the British Museum, 
is, as I am told by Dr. Gunther, 4. multioceilatus (Cuv. et Val.). 
I had this example alive in my aquarium for several days. It was 
brought to me out of the water, and had been out several minutes. 
It seemed somewhat exhausted, but soon recovered when placed in the 
water. It affected a singular position. It moved occasionally from 
one place to another, and evidently preferred a position between two 
coral blocks near together. Here it planted its ventrals firmly on the 
sand at the bottom of the aquarium, while it fixed its pectorals, in 
the manner of disks, on the sides of the blocks of coral between which 
it was stationed, and raised its posterior extremity at an angle not far 
from the vertical. In this position it reminded me of the antics of 
“city Arabs’’ who walk on their hands with their legs in the air; its 
posture was almost exactly that assumed in such an exercise. The 
caudal fin was bent over towards the dorsal and in a line with it, 
while the anal was brought almost into line with the major axis of 
the body, occupying the position belonging to the caudal. When- 
ever it fixed itself for any length of imal it was always in this posi- 
tion; and in that attitude it angled with the ciliated anterior dorsal for 
some of the small fish in the aquarium. I hoped to see it catch 
one; but they were too wary. There were seven fish not too large 
for the Antennarii ; but they had been some months in captivity, 
were quite at home in every nook and corner, and knew too well the 
nature of the new inmate to allow themselves to be taken off their 
guard. I am accustomed to feed these with bread-crumbs, and I 
tried to entice them to the neighbourhood of the Antennarius by 
dropping some so as to fall immediately in front of it. But it was 
to no purpose ; they kept at a safe distance. When one ventured 
to dash at a falling crumb rather nearer than usual, it immediately 
darted away again in evident fear. 
The way in “which these little creatures showed their anger at the 
intruder amused me. They never approached it from the front, but 
always behind, and invariably backwards. As the Antennarius was 
protected behind by the coral blocks they had to approach it through 
the interstices of the coral ; and: only small fish could do this. When 
sufficiently near to suppose they could annoy their enemy, by a 
rapid motion of the caudal fin they lashed the water and then 
30” 
