es of Gulls and Cormorants, for they are
very anxious not to be seen. Some of these rock-pool fish do not mind
being out of water for hours at a time. In every way Nature has fitted
them for their life between sea and shore. They have cousins in warmer
seas which love to come ashore at times. This is how a traveller
describes one of these foreign Gobies:--

"Though they are fish, and breathe by gills, they have a passion for the
land, and during the daytime may always be seen ashore, especially where
the coast is muddy. They bask in the sun, and hunt for food, raising
themselves on their fleshy fins.... When pursued, they take great
springs, using their tails and fins for the purpose; and if they cannot
escape into the sea, they will dive down the burrow of a land-crab, or
dash into a bunch of mangrove-roots." They are very wary, having eyes
like swivels, to turn in all directions.

[Illustration: A BUTTERFLY BLENNY]

The Spotted Goby, as we have already noticed, makes a nest under a
shell, and guards it until the eggs hatch. Two other Gobies are quite
common in the pools of our south coast--the One-spot Goby and the
Two-spot Goby. The back fin has the one spot, or two spots, from which
they get their name. Though they are such mites, they have sharp teeth,
as you may already know if you have caught them with your fingers!

These lively little fellows are not very easy to catch! They have a
cunning way of hiding amid sand and rock, and are coloured to suit such
places. One strange thing about the Gobies is their trick of anchoring
themselves to a stone.

You may wonder what kind of anchor they can use. It is a simple matter,
however. The fins on the stomach are pressed together to form a little
disc. This acts as a strong sucker, much like that of the Sucking Fish
(p. 43). If the Goby wishes to stay still in one place, it presses its
sucker to a stone; then it cannot be washed away by the ever-moving
water.

In the Blenny family we find big, ugly fish as well as pretty little
ones of strange shapes and lovely colours. There are several kinds of
small Blennies in our rock-pools. The Eyed Blenny, or Butterfly Blenny
is not very common along our shores, but may be seen now and again. It
is only a few inches in length, with eyes like jewels, a kind of tuft
over each eye, and a pretty spot on its tall back fin.

It will live quite well in a glass tank of sea-water; someone who kept
many interesting fish says of this