2784 THE BONY FISHES AND GANOIDS 



bands make their appearance, these showing at an earlier period in the males than 

 in the females. 



On account of the excellent quality and tastes of its flesh, mention 

 Gurami 



must be made here of the gurami ( Osphromenus olfax] as a well-known 

 representative of a third genus belonging to this family. Agreeing with the mem- 

 bers of the preceding genus in the absence of teeth on the palate, the smooth border 

 to the preorbital and opercular, and the structure of the pelvic fins, these fishes dif- 

 fer by the smaller number of spines in the dorsal or anal fins, which are either fewer 

 than the soft rays, or but very slightly exceed them. The body is moderately ele- 

 vated and compressed; the small and oblique mouth is capable of a considerable de- 

 gree of protrusion; and the first ray of the pelvic fins is elongated into a slender 

 filament, the remainder being generally rudimentary. When present the lateral 

 line is continuous; and there is always an air bladder. Distributed over the rivers 

 of Southeastern Asia, these fishes are represented in India only by a small species 

 (O. nobilis) of some four inches in length, inhabiting Northeastern Bengal and 

 Assam. The gurami, which is a native of the rivers of China and the Malayan 

 Archipelago, has, however, been introduced into several parts of India and has also 

 been naturalized in the Mauritius, Cayenne, and Australia. It is easily recognized 

 by its large size, great convexity of the profile of the under surface, and greenish- 

 t>rown color, marked in the immature condition by four or five dark vertical bands. 

 It attains a weight of fully twenty pounds, and, when kept in clean water, is stated 

 to be the best flavored fresh-water fish in Southeastern Asia. As it is extremely 

 tenacious of life, and likewise almost omnivorous in its diet, it is in every way very 

 admirably adapted for transportation and acclimatization. 



A fourth genus (Betta), distinguished by the short dorsal fin oc- 

 cupying the middle of the back, and without any pungent spine, 

 the long anal, and the production of the outer ray of the five-rayed pelvic fins, 

 must also be mentioned on account of its containing the so-called fighting fish 

 (B. J>ugnax) which is bred by the Siamese for the sake of the sport afforded by 

 its pugnacious propensities. Cantor writes that, ' ' when the fish is in a state of 

 quiet, its dull colors present nothing remarkable; but if two be brought together, or 

 if one sees its own image in a looking-glass, the little creature becomes suddenly 

 excited, the raised fin and the whole body shine with metallic colors of dazzling 

 beauty, while the projected gill membrane, waving like a black frill round the 

 throat, adds something of grotesqueness to the general appearance. In this state 

 it makes repeated darts at its real or reflected antagonist. But both, when taken 

 out of each other's sight, become instantly quiet. This description was drawn up 

 in 1840 at Singapore, by a gentleman who had been presented with several by the 

 King of Siam. They were kept in glasses of water, fed with larvae of mosquitoes, 

 and had thus lived for many months. The Siamese are as infatuated with the 

 combats of these fish as the Malays are with their cockfights, staking on the issue 

 considerable sums, and sometimes their own persons and families. The license 

 to exhibit fish fights is farmed, and brings a considerable annual . revenue to the 

 King of Siam. The species abounds in the rivulets at the foot of the hills of 

 Penang. ' ' 



