THE LITTORAL AND MARINE FAUNA 329 



in ponds and tanks, and they rank among the most remarkable 

 of all living creatures, and certainly among the most tenacious 

 of life, for they can stand an extraordinary amount of exposure 

 to the sun and air. 



Some fish that seem to have no special method of pro- 

 tection in the matter of coloration or armour-plate, are those 

 that spend their lives in the shelter of the irregular coral 

 masses of the deeper parts of the lagoon and island slopes ; and 

 they evidently depend for their preservation upon their power 

 to lurk among the rocks. One such fish is the " rock cod " or 

 Grai^u, a fine fish which offers good sport, as it is a most 

 voracious feeder, and is excellent eating. The rock cod is 

 mostly remarkable for the enormous size of its mouth ; it can 

 swallow any bait which even a good-sized shark could take in, 

 and the gape of its jaws is wonderful. In some measure it 

 seems to depend upon this enormous gape to resist being 

 pulled from its rocky haunts, for when hooked it invariably 

 comes up with its mouth wide open, and a fish of only a few 

 pounds can offer a very stubborn resistance in this way. 



Around the slopes of the island ring, various fine fish may 

 be taken on days when it is possible to go out into the open 

 ocean in a small boat, and snapper, albicore, and " king fish," 

 are among the best to be had in this way, but the success of 

 the fisher. is frequently marred by the presence of the sharks, 

 which steal his victim from the hook before it can be pulled 

 aboard the boat. 



Large numbers of strange eels live around the rocky 

 shores. They are of many species, of which the commonest is 

 a large grey creature that may often be seen coiled up on the 

 surf-washed edge of the barrier. 



The animals are named Lendoiig by the Malays, and are 

 justly held in some dread, for their bite is very severe and 

 they are dangerous creatures to deal with. One species is even 

 credited with possessing poisonous properties, and I think that 

 it is not unlikely that its character is a true one ; and certainly 

 its appearance is so really repulsive that it naturally suggests 

 the possession of evil powers. This eel {Ophichthys coluhrinus, 



