282 Records of the Indian Museum. [VoL Xd; 
“Tt lurks under stones or amongst weeds’’ observes Day, 
but so far as I have observed, it appears to bea gregarious surface 
fish. In an aquarium, however, it at times settles on the bottom, 
when the prolonged ventral rays are stuck perpendicularly into 
the sand to support the forepart of the body.- They are pugna- 
cious and often fight and chase each other ; the immature fish are 
afraid of the adults. According to Jerdon! ‘‘ it must be handled 
with caution, for the spines inflict a most severe burning pain 
which lasts a few hours.’’ They are air-breathers and in an aqua- 
rium they mount up to the surface every 2 or 3 minutes to take 
air, but unlike most other fish which respire air, the act is not 
usually accompanied by the escape of air-bubbles. M. cupanus 
is essentially a vegetable-feeder and in captivity eats crumbs of 
bread, but feeds also on insects and insect larvae. Ground-feeding 
is not natural to this fish, as it does so with deliberation and 
effort, and in an aquarium I have often seen it fail to pick up the 
particle of food on the bottom in spite of repeated efforts: the 
mouth is dorsal in position and in order to feed on the bottom it 
has to stand almost vertically upside down. 
The breeding season has been ascertained to be May and 
June.? M.cupanus probably builds a nest like its congener M. 
viridiauratus.’ 
Uses.—According to Mr. Wilson it is an effective mosquito- 
destroyer. 
Etroplus maculatus (Bloch). 
(Pl. xxviii, figs. 26—30). 
Tamil—Burakasu. 
Habitat and Habits.—This pretty little fish is abundant all 
over Madras in ponds, ditches and rivers; in the last many habi- 
tually live and breed within tidal influence in brackish water. 
E. maculatus frequents the weedy shallows of ponds and 
streams and feeds for the most part on aquatic vegetation and 
partly on worms and insects. It is highly pugnacious in disposi- 
tion and at times, as observed by Day *, turns almost black with 
passion. ‘‘ This species does not live long after its removal from 
water’? observes Day®; but on the contrary its tenacity of life 
has frequently surprised me. It is one of the few fish that is oc- 
casionally brought to the market alive ; out of water it sometimes 
makes, at regular intervals, a peculiar ticking noise by the sudden 
closing and opening of its mouth. 
The spawning season extends from January to April: most 
fish breed during February and March. The only account of the 
nidification was published in 1848 by Jerdon in his paper ‘‘ On the 
1 Day, Fishes of India, p. 371. 
2 Thomas, Rep. Pisc. South Canara, p. 72. 
8 Gill, Parental care among F.W. Fishes. Ann. Rep. Smith. Inst. 1905 
p- 529. 
and 5 Fishes of India, p. 415. 
