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colour they have 4 — 6 irregular spots, some grass green, others 

 orange, a third, fourth, fifth sky blue, chrome yellow or an 

 iridescent color. This little fish is to be found anywhere where 

 there is water, in the drains in the street, in the rivers, ponds, 

 etc. It is curious to note the degree of heat it can stand. 



2. The canals, that are made on siigar estates for drainage, 

 flow very slowl}' and the temperature of the water generally 

 rises high during the day. The bottom is generally muddy. 

 In many places the surface is covered Avilh large leaved water 

 plants especially Nymphacaccc, grass and moss or algce, under 

 all these a rich fauna lives. Here is the home of a large num- 

 ber of Oyj^r/noJowfo?, innumerable larvae of insects {Libellulidce 

 and Ejihemeridte) small water beetles, (7Z«ps*n0s, smaW Bhabdoccc- 

 loits TurbeUdria, but above all several kinds of ^mpH^/an'a, afew 

 small snails also occur. 



The AvvpvMaria are xmcommonly lazy animals, They lie in 

 the bottom of shallow water half out of their shells in large 

 numbers, few specimens crawl about slowly, and seem to have a 

 comparatively great want of breathing directly in the air and 

 this is why they prefer shallow Avater, as they can get to the 

 surface quicker. Besides the Ampidlaria one sees dragon fly 

 larva;, Annelides, spawn of snails, now and then a Clepsineov 

 Flanaria. Among the ah/(€ and moss Agrion and dragon ily 

 larvfe are carrying on their blood tliirsty life ; now and then a 

 water beetle shoots to the bottom, some tadpoles come to the 

 surface to gasp for air — everything as in Europe on the banks 

 of some !)i(ok. Many canals run into the sea and lose them- 

 selves in tlie mangrove swamps, and here the picture and fauna 

 changes oo:isiderably. The aquatic plants disappear and the 

 banks consist of very soft black mud which is perforated witli 

 countless holes, into which a number of crabs take refuge and 

 it is astonishing how they climb about on the IMangrove roots. 

 Among the fish that live in ihe swamps, 1 will only ennumerate 

 the cascaladou belonging to the genus CalUchthys, the flesh of 

 which is considered such a delicacy that a proverb has been 



