1916.] B.SuNDARA Raj: Freshwater Fish of Madras. 255 
for many hours out of water, rather an exceptional feature in the 
herring family to which Megalops belongs.' 
M. cyprinoides breeds during the cold weather. Thomas, 
however, in his Report on Pisciculture in South Canara states that 
FE. apalike, Day (=M. cyprinotdes) is said to breed from May to 
June. The larvae are common in the river Cooum in October and 
November in fresh water. As in Albula vulpes (A. conorhynchus 
of the ‘‘ Fauna’’) the young pass through a characteristic larval 
stage analogous to that of the eel.” 
Notopterus notopterus (Pallas).* 
(Notopterus kapirat of the Fauna of Brit. India.) 
Tamil—Chotta Valat, 
Habitat and Habits.—Day records this species from fresh and 
brackish waters. In Madras, however, it is confined to the former 
and appears to thrive best in the stationary water of ponds and 
lakes; Hamilton-Buchanan, however, obtained his largest speci- 
mens (3 feet in length) from rivers.* 
Uses.—Though the species is said to attain to 3 feet, I have not 
seen it above a foot and a half in length. It is esteemed as food. 
Engraulis purava (H. B.) 
Tamil—Ven Kannu. 
Young fish of E. purava occur in the river Cooum in fresh 
water during October and November, which appears to be the 
breeding season. It is an estuarine fish which ascends rivers when 
young. In 1g1o a specimen was collected as far inland as Tirhoot 
in Bengal.® 
Labeo calbasu (H. B.) 
Tamil—Sé Kenda. 
Habitat and Habits.—This species abounds in large tanks in 
the neighbourhood of Madras and in rivers above tidal influence. 
It also occurs in a few small tanks within the city. Like the other 
species of Labeo, it feeds on vegetable matter and minute crus- 
tacea and is essentially a bottom-feeder.6 L. calbasu breeds dur- 
ing the cold weather. Immature fish are common in the river 
Cooum in fresh water in January. Young fish of about 6 inches in 
length are silvery white in colour, the scarlet spots being entirely 
absent. 
© 
1 Spolia Zeylanica, VII, p. 98. 
2 van Kampen, Larvae ot Megalops cyprinoides: Bull. Dept. Agri. des Ind. 
Neer. Buitenzorg, 1908 (10-12). 
8 Max Weber and De Beaufort, Fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, 
II, p.9. (Pallas, Sprcrl. Zool., VII, p. 40.) 
+ Hamilton-Buchanan, Fishes of the Ganges, p. 235. 
& Fourn. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., XX, p. 432. 
5 Thomas, Rep. Pisctculture S. Canara, p. 70. 
