<< 
= a 
“aia Na a > 
An anecdotal account of some queer inhabitants of the seas—fish that walk, fish that talk, fish that fly, fish 
that climb, fish that bury themselves, and fish that are drowned if they stay in the water too long. 
By W. SavinLE-Kent, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 
PART II. 
eo fish, as might be anticipated, yield an innumerable assemblage of forms 
that are remarkable for their owtré shapes or peculiar habits. Among the latter the 
subject of the accompanying coloured illustration is deservedly noteworthy. In size and 
shape the species bears a by no means inconsiderable resemblance to the little Smooth 
Blenny or Shanny of British seas, whose exploits as a chivalrous defender of his hearth 
and home were chronicled in a previous chapter. In zoological parlance the fish is known 
as the Periopthalmus—a title bearing reference 
to its peculiarly modified eyes which can be 
raised or depressed at will, and under the 
former conditions command an uninterrupted 
all-round vision. In virtue of its mud- 
frequenting and skipping propensities the fish 
is more familiarly known as the Mud-hopper 
or Mud-skipper. It is an essentially tropical 
species, being particularly abundant among the 
muddy mangrove flats of North Australia and 
the Malay region. Under these conditions it 
may be commonly seen at low water associating 
in little groups and basking in the sun on the 
surface of the mud, chasing each other in 
sport with their quaint skippimg action or, 
having climbed to the elevation of a mangrove 
root or the woodwork of the jetty, peacefully 
contemplating its companions’ antics. The 
capture of the little fish seems at first sight 
an easy task, but woe betide the reckless » 
enthusiast who ventures on the treacherous From a Photograph by W. Saville-Kent, F.2Z.8. 
ooze im fis vaim joumsuit, le qilll ame TANCE eee ee ee a 
: o 3 0 The companions of the jumping fish Periopthalmus. 
from the enterprise with bemired raiment and (See Coloured Plate.) 
117 
