riSHKS AND FISHING. 303 



of the fishes of the river Ganges and its branches ; 

 from which I make the following abridged extract. 



The fish to which this faculty of ascending trees is 

 attributed, is called the Coius Cobojcus, or the climbing 

 perch ; the fin of its tail is nearly rounded ; it has 

 seventeen prickles, and eight soft rays in the united 

 fins of the back, with ten prickles and ten soft rays 

 in the fin behind the vent, with faint black belts 

 traversing the sides. 



Captain Dal dorf, a Dane, " Linnsean Transactions," 

 vol. iii. p. 62, states, that he saw one of these fish 

 climbing up a palm tree. 



This fish is found ever)- where in the marshes, 

 ponds, and ditches of India ; although it abounds in 

 sharp bones, the natives of Calcutta use it much in 

 diet; the women believing that it increases their 

 milk, and the men that it possesses great invigorating 

 'powers ; it seldom exceeds six inches in length. It 

 has beneath each eye a horny process, indented on 

 the lower edge, and ending before in a sharp point, 

 which the animal can, at pleasure, turn out. 



Each gill- cover consists of three plates — the two 

 hindermost of which are indented with numerous 

 strong parallel spines ; all these are powerful organs 

 of locomotion, when the fish is on land. 



A climbing fish was known to the Greeks; but 

 though mentioned by Oppian, in about twenty difier- 



