526 PARENTAL CARE AMONG FRESH-WATER FISHES. 



followed its children and its mate into eternity. Thns the pretty 

 fish <lisappeared from my aquariums, for I had given away the two 

 smaller ones in October. 



THE ANABANTOmEANS, 



In tropical Asia and Africa, countries Avhere a long " dry season " 

 alternates with a " w-et "" one when showers are frequent, live a num- 

 ber of fishes with singular appendages to the branchial skeleton. 

 They have in common a vascular suprabranchial respiratory organ, 

 wdiich is developed around the topmost joints, or epibranchials, of the 

 first of the branchial arches. By means of this they are able to 

 breathe air direct, and are consequently admirably adapted for life in 

 countries Avhere the streams and ponds dry up or shrink so that ordi- 

 nary fishes would be deprived of a sufficient amount of oxygen in the 

 heater. Not only are they not dependent on the supply of oxygen in 

 the water, but they demand more and have developed to such an 

 extent as to require air direct, and if prevented from obtaining such 

 die of asphyxia. 



There are at least two families which are so distinct as to have 

 been far removed from each other by some modern ichthyologists, 

 although by the older ones all the species were associated in the same 

 family. Most of them have the normal union of the pelvic bones wnth 

 the shoulder girdle by a direct connection of the respective bones. 

 These belong to the Gourami family {Osphromenids) . Others have 

 the pelvic bones rather loosely connected by ligament with the shoul- 

 der girdle and have consequently been removed from the Acanthop- 

 terygians and associated with the mullets and related fishes in the 

 suborder Percesoces. They form the family of Anabantids and are 

 best knoAvn through the Anabas scandens, in popular parlance desig- 

 nated the climbing fish, and in the Malabar or Tamil language the 

 paumi-eyri or sennal, one signifying "tree climber." Sometimes 

 united with the Osphromenids and sometimes distinguished as dis- 

 tinct families are two monotyiDic groups designated Helostomids and 

 Luciocephalids. 



A little detail explanatory of the structure referred to is here 

 necessary. 



The uppermost element but one of one pair (the first) of the gill- 

 bearing arches is peculiarly modified ; that is, the element (called 

 branchihyal) .of each side, instead of being straight and solid as 

 in most fishes is excessively developed and provided with thin plates 

 or folds erect from the surface of the bone and from the roof of the 

 mouth to Avhich the arch is attached. These plates, by their inter- 

 section, form chambers, and are lined with a vascular membrane 

 which is supplied wdth larafe blood vessels. There are corresponding 



