118 Capt. J. Mitchell on the Climbing Habits of Anabas scandens. 
sent to Dr. Giinther, of the British Museum, and among them were 
some specimens of Anabas 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 yéri’ 
(the A. 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 yéri, z.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 Anabas scandens 
has greater mobility than that of any fish that I can remember; 
and this was noticed by Cuvier (Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, 
tome vil. 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 yéri 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. 
