GILL ON THE GOURAML 725 



peared to him to combine all the most tavoral)le conditions for such 

 attempts (1804, 215; IHGO, 080; 1807, -5158); and ultimately, in response 

 to a letter from the president of the Paris society, the iSociety of Accli- 

 matization and Agriculture of Sicily, through its president, Baron Auca, 

 appointed a commission to reporton the subject, (1807, 282,) which con- 

 firmed the favorable opinion entertained by Baron Dunast, (1807, 552, 

 753.) An elaborate report was published by the Italian society on the 

 subject, but their recommendations appear never to have been carried 

 into elfect. 



All the attempts to acclimatize the gourami in France have thus far 

 proved to be failures; and (if the physological data obtained from a wide 

 experience are any guide) are likely to be equally so in the future; and 

 the Acclimatization Society has recognized tliis truth in the discontin- 

 uance of offers of specific prizes for the introduction or acclimatization 

 into its waters of the gourami. The society, iiowever, evidently still 

 entertains hope of success for several French [)rovinces; as, in 1873, it 

 renewed its offers of prizes (which have been repeated several times) rel- 

 ative to this species. The premiums offered are, severally : (1) 500 francs 

 for the introduction into the fresh waters of Algeria of a new foodtish ; 

 (2) 1,000 francs for the acclimatization in the fresh watersof Algeria of a 

 new food fish; (3) 500 francs for the introduction into the fresh waters of 

 Guadeloupe and Martinique of a new food-fish ; and, (4) 1,000 francs for 

 the acclimatization in the fresh waters of Guadeloupe and Martinique of a 

 new food-fish. The time for competition is in each case open till Decem- 

 ber, 1880 ; and the amounts offered are in each case doubled, in case the 

 fish introduced or acclimatized is the gourami. 



ALGERIA. 



Efforts to introduce the fish into the French colony of Algeria were 

 initiated in 1803 by a letter from M. Tourniol, of Melianah, (repeated in 

 1805, 489,) who offered to the Preach Acclimatization Society the use 

 of his fish-basins to receive any specimens that conld be sent to the 

 colony, (1803, 131,) and by another from M. Hardy, the director of the 

 Garden of Acclimatization of Algiers, who also announced his readiness 

 to receive any (1803, 220). One lot sent in 1803 died on the way from 

 Cairo to Algeria, (1803, 027) ; a second, sent in 1804, were more fortu- 

 nate, as eleven were received (on October 31) by M. Hardy from M. 

 Perrot de Chamarelle of Mauritius; these were placed in pendant 

 vases, in which the water was often renewed, and the fishes were fed 

 with flies (1804, 097, 701) ; most of them, however, died before the 19th 

 of May, 1875, (1805, 358,) and the " depot" (1805, 194) was thus ex 

 hausted. The same want of success that attended the attempts at intro. 

 duction in the other countries awaited those made for Algeria. 



AUSTRALIA. 



Frequent attempts have also been made to introduce the gourami 

 into Australia, especially the colony of Victoria. These were continued 



