12 JOURNAL OF MARINE ZOOLOGY AND MICROSCOPY. 



II. Hunting Craft of the John Dory. 



How like a consciously wise old vestryman is the Dory (Zeus 

 faber) as he turns his great rotund solemn eye to survey the scene 

 around him, and erects his great dorsal fin, with its few long rays so 

 like the cherised and sparse hair's that ornament the afore-mentioned 

 gentleman's polished bald cranium. A solemn and wise fish he looks, 

 aye, but there is craft concealed beneath those smooth benevolent 

 pecksniffian features. See, he moves stealthily along to within four 

 inches of that Goby there on the bottom. See, with head directed 

 downwards and just sufficient gentle, almost imperceptible motion 

 of the fins to keep him in unchanged position, does he not 

 seem bent upon hypnotising the Goby ? But there, the latter is 

 tired of being looked at. The Dory follows round to face him again, 

 but does not try to diminish the distance. Thus 15 to 20 minutes 

 go. by, with alternate moves on the part of the two fishes, but 

 with no alteration in the distance. At last any vague fears that 

 the Goby had of his strange observer are lulled and he relaxes his 

 vigilance. The Dory now sees his opportunity ; the colour bands 

 on his sides intensify and darken, the dorsal fin goes up — it had lain 

 folded down till now. This martial bearing takes but a moment to 

 put on — indeed it is really coincident with a lightning swift forward 

 movement — a swift dash — a great telescopic mouth thrown out — 

 the disappearance of the Goby and a satisfied gulping on the part 

 of the Dory. 



Thus it happened continually. Always a long stealthy stolid 

 staring stalk, often unsuccessful it is true, but still giving a very 

 satisfactory average, so the Dory appears to think. No doubt he 

 counts upon occasional failure. He knows and appreciates his own 

 large stock of patience, and is conscious that he can depend upon 

 it for a comfortable competence in life. Gobies, Smelts, Wrasses 

 and Grey Mullets have been fed upon in our tanks by the Dory. 



Once recently the smaller of the two Dorys that we have, 

 " negotiated " a 15-spined stickleback (Q 'aster vsteus spinacJiia) 

 quite 5 inches long. For a few seconds, the captor did his best 

 to calm within his capacious stomach the flutterings of the 15-spined 

 dorsal fin of the prey, but it was beyond his power. With sudden 

 determination the Jonah was shot out, and like his great forerunner, 

 seemed not one penny the worse. Away he swam after a moment's 

 flurried hesitancy. There was a very obvious movement, what in 

 a higher animal might be termed a shaking of himself together, 

 and then a rapid return to every day humdrum existence. 



The John Dory, we may add, lives very well in confinement. 

 Our two we have had a long time. They are as can be seen 

 from the above, very particular about having living food, but so 

 long as it be small fish they do not mind what species. 



