284 Records of the Indian Museum. VOL. Aide 
the larvae are hatched they are restless; an incessant vibration of 
their bodies continues day and night. 
On the second ‘day the length increases to 5 mm. (fig. 28), 
pigment appears in the eyes and in the form of stellate cells on 
the yolk-sac, the pectoral fins appear as buds. ‘The habits are the 
same as on the first day. 
Ina few days the mouth and anus are formed, the fry assume 
their normal position, z.e. have their backs directed upwards, and 
the yolk-sac is considerably reduced. 
In a fortnight the yolk-sac becomes completely absorbed, only 
two clusters of pigment spots are now seen, one on the head and 
the other on the nape: the embryonic median fin still persists, 
and the fry still adhere to the bottom and oscillate their bodies 
(fig. 29). 
So long as the fry keep to the nest the parents guard it and, 
in the natural surroundings, I have noticed that one of them, the 
female probably, is engaged in the task of what appears to be 
feeding the fry. She is seen constantly to go to a selected spot 
in the neighbourhood, usually only a few feet from the nest, and 
there dig with her mouth at the root of an aquatic plant and bring 
up a mouthful of dark sediment which she ejects into the nest. 
If the nest is attacked she leaves her task and joins the male in 
defence. 
As soon asthe voung are able to swim freely the parents and 
their brood desert the nest and a life of wandering in quest of 
food commences. In such rambles, the mother occupies generally 
the centre of the family group and the male takes charge of the 
circumference. When thus engaged the adults are highly pugna- 
cious and vigorously attack any large fish that pass near them: 
on one occasion I saw an adult O. punctatus chased for several 
yards by one of these fish. 
As the body of the adult is much compressed and elevated, 
there is a curious disproportion at various stages of growth in the 
relative length and height of the body, as will be seen from the 
table below :— 
Length g—12 —16 —18 —19g—30 mm. 
Height 3— 44— 44— 74$— 8—14 mm. 
In a specimen 9 mm. long the back is green or olive, a well- 
matked white band is found across the nape and the body is 
elongated (fig. 30). In young 19 mm. long there is a considerable 
increase in height so that the body is oval in shape, the back is 
olive and has 6 broad transverse bands descending half way on 
the sides and the ventral surface is dirty white. In the adult fish 
these bands disappear and the lower ends of 3 of them alone 
are retained as the characteristic 3 spots on either side of the 
body. When the young are about an inch long they are aban- 
doned by the parents. 
