478 The Lony-Jawed Goby. [ August, 
ing water situated inside the head, and accessory to the gill-cay- 
ity ; the Labyrinthici, of which the Anabas scandens, or climb- 
ing perch, is a well-known example, have an organ composed of 
thin laminæ, and well suited to contain water, situated in a 
cavity over the gills, and the gill-opening is narrow ; the cuchia 
(Amphipurus cuchia) of Bengal is provided with a sac for the re- 
ception of air, and has rudimentary branchiæ, while the three 
curious fishes forming the sub-class Dipnoi, the Protopterus of 
West Africa, the Lepidosiren of the Amazon and its tributaries, 
and the Ceratodus of the rivers of Queensland, Australia, are all 
provided with a lung-like air-bladder, and have narrow gill-open- 
ings and fewer gills than ordinary fishes. 
All the fishes mentioned above can bear deprivation of water 
for more or less time; the Ophiocephalide and the cuchia take 
overland journeys in search of water; the Labyrinthici take some 
of their prey out of water, are said to be able to ascend trees, and 
can live for some time in dried mud; and the Protopterus re- 
mains alive for many months encased in lumps of the dried mud 
of the river bed, awaiting only the rainy season to resume its 
predatory life: 
Why may not the extremely long channel formed by the jaw 
of this rather abnormal member of the goby family be another 
mode of provision for the requirements of respiration ? 
The two ordinary gobies ( Gobius lepidus and G. Newberry), 
which are found in San Francisco water, although they reside m 
cavities in the mud or sand, need no such protection as the 
Gillichthys, since the latter inhabits the tidal sand and mud flats 
of the sea beach, at such a depth below the surface that it can 
never be short of water while uncovered by the tide; while the 
former has not, within my knowledge at least, been found in 
localities left bare by the tides. 
Of the geographical range of the long-jawed goby, to the 
north of San Francisco, I know nothing, but it extends south- 
ward at least as far as the Gulf of California, since I found a 
single young specimen of it among miscellanea collected there by 
Mr. W. J. Fisher. 
This individual differs from those obtained in the bay of San 
Francisco in the decidedly reddish tint of the under surface (a 
slaty gray is the usual color), but this is probably at most only a 
local peculiarity, as I can detect no other difference. 
