ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 223 
of defence, and in one kind found in tropical 
Africa, Asia, and parts of Australia, the 
explosion accompanying its discharge is stated 
to produce a distinct sensation of heat and the 
vapour to smell like nitric acid. 
Should any of it come into contact with 
one’s hand it causes the skin to turn dark 
brown, the effects not wearing off for about 
eighteen days. 
The old-time archer is represented by the 
archer-fish or beaked chaetodon found in the 
fresh waters of North Australia, New Zealand, 
and the East Indies. It feeds principally 
upon insects for which it makes diligent search 
by swimming along the banks of streams or 
beneath trees whose leaves overhang the 
water. 
Having espied an insect the fish proceeds 
to capture its prey by shooting out a drop of 
water from its mouth, its aim being so true 
that it rarely fails to reach its mark and to 
bring the insect tumbling down into the water, 
when it is at once gobbled up. 
The fish will shoot with accuracy for a 
distance up to six feet, and when one bears 
in mind the small size of the target it will be 
realized that the creature is a marksman of 
no mean ability. 
Prom observations made of these fish kept 
