A SHOOTING FISH.

Dunstan Times, Issue 775, 23 February 1877, Page 4

A SHOOTING FISH.

The inhabitants of the sea include some very singular characters. In the illustration we have one noc only remarkable for its eccentric form and the bold beauty of its'tints, but for the extraordinary manner which it obtains its food. It is called the Beaked Chsefodon (Clielmo rostratus). The reader will observe its curiously elongated muzzle. This muzzle it uses just like a boy docs a pea-shooter darting drops of water through it at any xlies or other insects it sees within range. The hunting grounds of the CJnetodon are the shores of the Indian and Polynesian seas. When it notices a fly resting on a twig or blade of grass overhead, it approaches quietly, the greater part of its body being under water, but the beak being kept above the surface, with its point directed towards the unsuspecting victim. Suddenly it shoots a drop of water with accurate aim; the fly is ' knocked off its perch, falls into the water, and is snapped up. In this novel method of bagging small game, great skill must be called into practice. Anyone who has tried to spear a salmon in a deep pool of water knows how deceptive is the apparent portion of the fish.