MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 405 



becomes very abundant. I have frequently noticed it drinking water 

 from the streams ; though some of these lizards, inhabiting the tops of 

 dry hills, must never drink. 



It breeds during May, June, July, and perhaps the first half of August. 

 A female killed in May was found, on dissection, to contain 7 eggs, which 

 were ready for expulsion. Another killed on the 3Uth June had 9 eggs. 



During the breeding season the males are very i^ugnacious, and are 

 often to be seen fighting and chasing each other. One of these battles, 

 which I happened to witness some years ago, lasted for several minutes, 

 and both the combatants appeared to have suflered, and were much 

 exhausted. I have frequently seen these lizards going about with only 

 the stumps of their tails — the rest of the appendages having come to grief 

 in some way — and it is very possible that these injuries, to a large extent, 

 are due to love encounters. 



P. T. L. DODSWORTH, f.z.s., m.b.o.u. 

 Simla, Mat/ 1913. 



No. XXV.— SIZE OF BARILIUS GUTTATUS. 



In the Fauna of British India Day gives Barilius guttatus as known up 

 to 7 inches. It might be of interest to record that I caught one of this 

 species in the Gunzalin River (Salween District) weighing ^ lb. and measur- 

 ing 9f inches from the fork of the tail or 10| inches from tip to tip. This 

 fish, a female, contained ripe ova on the 3rd February, a full month 

 earlier than I have known any species of carp to be ready to spawn in 

 this river. 



J. B. MERCER ADAM, f.c.h., i.f.s. 

 MouLMAiN, Lower Burma, 

 IQth February 1913. 



No. XXVI. -RECENT OBSERVATIONS ON THE MURRAL 

 ( OPHIO C'EFHAL US STRIA TUS) . 



Definite information as to the spawning habits of Indian fish is hard to 

 come by. And the average Indian angler, keen observer though he fre- 

 quently is, is neither a subscriber to scientific journals nor conversant 

 with the somewhat specialised language of icthyologists. No apology 

 therefore is needed for introducing to his notice an interesting discovery 

 relating to the nidification of one of the best of the Indian sporting and 

 food fishes. 



Those who wish to read up the subject in full detail should buy ^' Spolia 

 Zeylanica"^ Vol. VI, Part XXIII, December 1909. 



The article is headed " Observations on the Nests, Eggs, and Larvi^ of 

 Ophiocephalus striatus," and the author. Dr. A. Willey, has a world wide 

 reputation as an accurate observer. 



It is necessary at the outset to issue a warning. Dr. Willey 's observations 

 Avere confined to one only of some 30 known species of Ophiocephaloid 

 fishes, viz., Ophiocephalus striatus. It is not proved that the other species 



^ Colombo. H. C. Cottle, Government Printer, Ceylon. Copies may be obtained 

 from the Director, Colombo Museum, post free, for R. r2.9; or from Messrs. Wyman 

 & Sons, Ltd., Fetter Lane, E. C, for 2s. T^d. 



