100 MR. J. T. CUNNINGHAM ON MARINE FISHES [Jail. 18, 



I brought back two specimens, one 10 inches long, the other 

 7 inches, which agree with Giinther's description, except that in 

 the larger the pectoral extends only to the commencement of the 

 ventral, not to the second soft ray of that fin. This is one of the 

 most abundant fishes at St. Helena, occurring along the shore 

 and everywhere at moderate depths. I caught specimens off the 

 wharf, to the east of Jamestown and on the windward side oft' 

 George Island. It is common at the Cape and along the coast 

 of S. Africa, and occurs also at the Bermudas and at Muscat, on 

 the coast of Arabia. 



CHvETODON SANCT.E HELENA. 



Chcetodon sanctce helence Giinther, B. M. Cat. Fishes, vol. ii. 

 MS.; Melliss. 



The Cunning-fish, Melliss. 



The colours of this Chsetodont, although pretty, are not so con- 

 spicuous as in the majority of the species in other parts of the world, 

 a fact which is perhaps related to the absence of corals and the 

 sombre colours of the rocks at St. Helena. The sides are silvery 

 white ventrally, light mauve dorsally, and a band of bright yellow 

 passes all round the body along the dorsal and ventral fins and 

 across the caudal peduncle, the caudal fin itself being almost 

 colourless. The fish is very abundant and very fearless, although 

 at the same time not easy to capture by hook and line, as its 

 mouth is small and it seems to know how to avoid the hook and 

 tear away the bait, hence its local name of Canning-fish. In 

 ordinary circumstances not one may be seen in the water from 

 the wharf or the landing steps, but as soon as any refuse is 

 thrown in dozens or hundreds appear to feed on it. I tried to 

 catch them with a small seine shot round the fishermen's steps, 

 but as soon as the net was hauled in they simply escaped under 

 its lower edge. I then used a mackerel-net, keeping the foot-line 

 on the steps and the buoyed head-rope some distance out with the 

 loose net hanging below the surface of the water ; then by means 

 of bait I enticed the fish over the net, and by raising the edge 

 which had been under water I captured more than a hundred at 

 one haul. I found they were almost ready to spawn, milt or eggs 

 running from many of them when the abdomen was squeezed. 

 Some of the eggs were ripe enough to float in sea- water ; they 

 were transparent, about 1 mm. in diameter, with a single yellowish 

 oil-globule. 



This species and C. dichrous Giinther, of which I did not obtain 

 a specimen, are peculiar to St. Helena, being found nowhere else 

 in the w T orld, while at the same time they are the only species of 

 the genus which occur at the island. 



JULIS SANCTiE HELENA. 



Jtdis sanctce helence Cuv. & Val. xiii. p. 382 ; Giinther, B. M. 

 C.it. Fishes, iv. p. 191 ; Melliss. 

 The Green-fish, Melliss. 



