66 



Considering that the salinity of the open sea in 

 Europe is about 35 per 1,000, this table credits none of 

 these fish with a tolerance of exceptional salinity. Its 

 chief inaccuracy appears to be in regard to this state- 

 ment ; later writers, particularly Samaritani and Feletti, 

 adduce facts which show that the eel in particular can 

 endure a much greater salinity than 40 per 1,000. The 

 former writer states that to his knowledge eels are able 

 to adapt themselves to a salinity of 8° Beaume (= 80 

 grams of total salts to 1,000 grams water) ; further that 

 in June, July and August 1893 the salinity of the 

 Comacchio valli, and in particular the Mezzano, rose 

 everywhere to 7 and 8° Beaume and in a certain locality 

 even to io°, without, in that year, causing any mortality. 

 He notes specifically that the fish were sana e vivacissima. 

 How far a high salinity, say between 40 and 60 per 1,000, 

 is inimical to ihegrowth of eels is unknown ; experiments 

 upon effects produced by variation in salinity upon 

 fishes in captivity are urgently needed — we require to 

 know the limit of tolerance wherein each species can 

 exist, and, more vitally important even than this, we 

 must obtain precise data as to the optimum of salinity, 

 in order that we may eventually regulate this to the 

 degree best suited to the rapid growth of the fishes 

 under control. 



Eels, several species of mullet, smelts, bass, sea-bream 

 [Spar us an rata), gobies, plaice, and soles being the 

 chief food fishes which are found to thrive in captivity 

 in Europe, it is satisfactory to know that fishes of closely 

 related species and of similar habits are found in Indian 

 waters in fully as great numerical abundance as in 

 Europe. Eels are represented by two species, mullet by 

 not less than 27 species, several being noted for their 

 marked partiality for backwaters, and some being actually 

 domiciled their whole life in rivers, smelts by three 

 species of Atherina ; in place of the bass we have the 

 finer Kodawa {Lates calcarifer) ; sea-bream are repre- 

 sented by several species of Chrysophrys which resort 

 habitually to backwaters at certain seasons ; gobies by 

 numerous species of the same genus ; plaice by the fine 

 Pseudorhombus arsius, and soles by several species of 

 estuarine-loving Cynoglossus. The fry of certain species 

 of all these oenera of Indian fishes resort to backwaters 



o 



