60 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XIV, 



with men, there are fishes with the predatory instinct highly 

 developed ; many are unabashed cannibals ; others are of a nagging 

 and bullying disposition, never happy except when teasing and 

 snapping at others; another set revel in combats with their own 

 or related species. It requires a large experience of the varying 

 characters of the different kinds to know how to arrange " happy 

 families" in each tank; sometimes individuals of the same species 

 have to be kept apart to prevent quarrels and bloodshed. Hence 

 the following notes cannot be arranged strictly in zoological order. 

 The whole of the illustrations in these pages are from original 

 sketches by my assistants, Messrs. M. Ramaswami Nayudu, B.A., 

 and K. R. Samuel. 



TANK No. 1. 



Indian waters abound in numerous species of sea-snakes. All 

 are highly poisonous, with venom much more deadly than that of the 

 cobra. Fortunately their disposition is sluggish ; they never attack 

 man unless trodden on or handled roughly, when, in fear and self- 

 defence, they attempt to protect themselves by making use of their 

 deadly poison. The few fatalities that happen among men are due 

 to incautious barefoot wading about in shallows on coral reefs 

 where these snakes are plentiful. 



Till recently the sea-snakes in this tank had as companions a 

 number of Muraenids (Sea-eels or Piniiar pambn), dogfishes and 

 small sharks. They lived peaceably together, but the snakes were 

 never able to get food as their more active companions gobbled 

 all up before the slow-thinking snakes made up their minds to try 

 for any. The sea-snakQs were lately given the tank to themselves 

 and now the larger species feed ravenously upon chopped up fish 

 flesh, a curious change of habit, for in nature they prefer their food 

 alive ; in such a case the snake if it has the chance, seizes its prey 

 towards the tail; its fangs pierce the flesh and almost instantly, 

 within a couple of seconds, the fish gives a single convulsive writhe 

 and subsides into immediate unconsciousness and death. Without 

 at any time letting go its purchase the snake works its jaw-hold 

 forwards along the body of its prey till it reaches the head when 

 it opens wide its mouth and passes as much of the fish into its 

 gullet and stomach as it can manage. If the fish be large— often 

 a snake will kill and attempt to eat a fish as large as itself— the 

 process of engulfment may take hours ; during this time the tail of 



