FAMILY, XXVII— GOBIID^. 303 



base of the pectoral fin. Colours — grayish- olive : first dorsal dark, longitudinally banded : caudal dark with 

 some spots in its upper half. 



Habitat. — Madras and Andamans. The specimen figured (life-size) is from the latter locality. 



Genus, 5 — Periophthalmus,* Bl. Schn. 

 Mud-shippers. 



Branchiostegals five : pseudobranehice rudimentary. Gill-openings rather narrow. Body elongated, sub- 

 cylindrical anteriorly. Profile from eyes to snout very steep. Eyes placed close together, very prominent, and the 

 eyelids well developed. Teeth in both jaws, erect, conical, fixed, and m one or two rows. Two dorsad fins, the first 

 with a varying number of flexible spines : base of pectoral muscular : ventrals more or less united in their lower 

 two-thirds : caudal with its inferior edge obliquely truncated. Air-vessel absent. Scales small or of moderate size, 

 cycloid or feebly ctenoid, covering the body and the base of the pectoral fins. 



These fishes, due to the muscular development at the base of the pectoral fins, are able to use them for 

 jirogression as mud-skippers or climbers. I made the following remarks on the P. Schlosseri in the Irrawaddi 

 river : — It is most curious to see these little fishes along the side of the Burmese rivers, at a distance they at first 

 appear between large tadpoles, stationary, contemplating all passing objects, or else snapping at flies 

 or insects : suddenly startled by something, away they go with a hop, skip, and a jump, either inland among 

 the trees, or on to the water like a flat stone or a piece of slate sent skimming by a schoolboy. They climb on to 

 trees and large pieces of grass, leaves and sticks, holding on by their pectoral fins exactly as if they 

 were arms. Now and then they plant these firmly as an organ of support, the same as one places one's elbows 

 on a table, then they raise their heads and take a deliberate survey of surrounding objects. 



They are not very timid, in fact my interpreter captured several by means of quietly creeping up to 

 them and knocking them over with a stick. Occasionally, when moored, they crawled up to the boat's rope, 

 and even on to its sides. Some looked light brown with dark bands, others darker, whilst a few were 

 of a brilliant emerald green, probably due to the position of the body and the reflection of the light. One 

 morning when at anchor I saw close to the side of my boat a snake in the water watching one of these fish, 

 which was intently occupied capturing flies : with a stick I saved it from its reptilian foe, but its colours were 

 so vivid I could not resist giving it a place in one of my collecting bottles. They are extensively used in 

 Burma for live bait, a purpose for which they appear to be well adapted. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Periophthalmus Koelreuteri, D. 10-15 | 12-13, A. 10-14, L. 1. 75. First dorsal fin variously formed, 

 being produced or not so. Second dorsal generally banded, and first dorsal mostly with a black intramarginal 

 edge. Seas and estuaries of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



2. Periophthalmus Schlosseri, D. 0-15 | -^, A. -Jy, L. 1. 55, L. tr. 11-12. Banded, with emerald green 

 spots : dorsal blackish, having a scarlet band, edged with blue and tipped with white. Coasts and large rivers of 

 India, Burma, Andamans, to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 



1. Periophthalmus Koelreuteri, Plate LXIV, fig. 8. 



Gobius Koelreuteri, Pall. Spic. viii, p. 8, t. ii, f. 1. 



Periophthalmus Koelreuteri, Bl. Schn. p. 65 ; Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 181 ; Riipp. N. W. Fische, p. 140 ; 

 Bleeker, Blenn. en Gob. p. 252; Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 97; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 182; Steind. Ak. Wien, 

 1869, p. 945 ; Klunz. Verh. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 485. 



Periophthalmus papilio, Bl. Schn. p. 63, t. xiv ; Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 190, plate 353 ; Bleeker, Gobioides. 

 1874, p. 38. 



Periophthalmus argentilineatus, Cuv. and Val. xii, p. 191 ; Bleeker, Amb. and Ceram. p. 276. 



Periophthalmus halolo, Less. Voy. Coq. Zool. ii, p. 146. 



Periophthalmus modestus, Cantor, Ann. and Mag. 1842, ix, p. 29 ; Richards. Ich. China, pp. 208, 309 ; 

 Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon. p. 147, pi. 76, f. 2 ; Bleeker, Japan, vi, p. 82. 



Periophthalmus dipus, Bleeker, Bant. p. 320. 



Periophthalmus fuscatus, Blyth, Journ. Asi. Soc. of Beng. 1859, p. 271, and 1860, p. 111. 



Euchoristopus Koelreuteri, Bleeker, Gobioides, 1874, p. 38. 



Chood-mud-dah, Andam. 



B. v, D. 10-15 | 12-13, P. 15, V 1/5, A. 11-14, C. 11, L. 1. 75. 



Length of head 4 to 4f , of caudal 4f , height of body 7 in the total length. Eyes — elevated, and close 

 together, diameter 1/4 of length of head, and 1 diameter from end of snout. Greatest width of head equals its 



* The Periophthalmini, Bleeker. 



1 . PerwpMlialmus, Bl. Sch. Teeth in a single row in both jaws, partly canines : in many rows of mainly fine, sharp ones 



in the pharyngeals. 



2. Euchoristopus, Gill. Teeth in a single row in both jaws. No canines : in few rows of mostly conical ones 



in the pharyngeals. 



3. Periophthalmodon, Bleeker. Anterior teeth in premaxillaries in two rows, the outer canines ; in a single row in the 



lower jaw, a portion of which are canines. 



