118 Capt. J. Mitchell on the Climbing Habits o/Anabas scandens, 



sent toDr.Giinther, of the British Museum, and among them were 

 some specimens oiAnabas scandens. I had directed my assistant, 

 Mr. Rungasawmy Moodeliar, to prepare a list, giving only the 

 Tamil names of the fish, and leaving a column for remarks. 

 On examining this list, I observed opposite to *Panai yeri^ 

 (the -4. scandens) the entry — "This fish climbs palm-trees." On 

 inquiring whence he had obtained this information, he replied 

 that he had himself seen the fish ascend the palm-tree, and he 

 described what he had witnessed. I asked him to put his state- 

 ment in writing, and (with a few verbal alterations, not touching 

 the facts) the following is his account : — 



"This fish inhabits tanks or pools of water, and is called 

 Panai yeri, i.e. the fish that climbs Palmyra-trees. 



''Where there are Palmyra-trees growing by the side of a 

 tank or pool, when heavy rain falls and the water runs profusely 

 down their trunks, this fish, by means of its opercula, which 

 move unlike those of other fish, crawls up the tree sideways to 

 a height of from 5 to 7 feet, and then drops down. 



" Should this fish be thrown upon the ground, it runs or pro- 

 ceeds rapidly along in the same manner (sideways), so long as 

 the mucus on it remains." 



By "sideways" my informant means that the fish, when 

 climbing or moving on the ground, inclines the body consider- 

 ably from the vertical ; and this seems necessary to enable it to 

 use the spines on the operculum to the best advantage. 



I would here remark that the operculum of Anahas scandens 

 has greater mobility than that of any fish that I can remember; 

 and this was noticed by Cuvier (Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, 

 tome vii. p. 249 of the 4to edition). It can be raised or turned 

 outwards to nearly a right angle with the body ; and when it is 

 in that position, the suboperculum descends a little; and it ap- 

 pears to me that it is chiefly by the spines of this latter piece 

 that the fish takes a purchase on the tree or on the ground. I 

 have ascertained by experiment that the mere closing of the 

 operculum when the spines are in contact with any surface, 

 even common glass, pulls an ordinary-sized fish forwards about 

 half an inch ; but it is probable that additional force is supplied 

 by the caudal and anal fins, both of which it is said are put in 

 use when climbing or advancing on the ground : the motion, in 

 fact, is described as a wriggling one. 



One of my taxidermists has also informed me that in his 

 boyish days he had frequently seen the Panai yeri ascend 

 Palmyra-trees at Negapatam (now the terminus of the Southern 

 India Railway). I should have said before, that Mr. Runga- 

 sawmy's observations were made about six years ago, in the 

 neighbourhood of the Red Hills in the vicinity of Madras. 



