SUNIER: Marine fish-ponds of Batavia. 205 
the river mouths, nor had they heard of its occurring there. However, 
since the bandeng living in its natural surroundings is but rarely caught 
and even then in only one or at most two specimens at a time, the above 
does not strictly prove that the bandeng does not occur in rivermouths 
in the vicinity of Batavia. That the bandeng occurs within a very short 
distance from the coast is an ascertained fact. The few sea-bandeng ') 
captured in the vicinity of Batavia are indeed caught in the sero’s 
= fishing-stakes) or with the payang teri (=a seine) ?). Now inthe 
Bay of Batavia sero’s are only placed within the 6'/, fathom line, which 
line is between less than- 2 and less than 2'/, sea-miles from the shore, 
whilst the payang-teri fishermen even mostly remain within the 5'/, fathom 
line, which is at most 2 sea-miles out of the coast. That the bandeng-fry 
(cf. fig. 12, Plate XIX) occurs and is caught in the immediate proximity of the 
shore, is well-known (cf. a.0. DE JAAGER and VAN LAWICK VAN PABST (!7) 
and VAN KAMPEN (??)). 
In the Batavia marine fish-ponds | found bandeng present in waters 
of all degrees of salinity between nearly fresh (<< 3'/, °/o9) and 84.6 °/5,. 
In my diary I find an entry to the effect that on September 24th 1918 
I ascertained the presence of bandeng making a perfectly normal impression 
in the ponds A and B of Map Il, the salinities in these ponds then amounting 
to 75.6 °/,, and 73.6°/,, respectively. 
On that same day and also in pond A of Map II I besides observed 
a large number of specimens of the brackish-water-fish Macrones gulio 
(HAM. BUCH.) (cf. Chapter VIII) which, in contradistinction to the bandeng, 
were dying, floating belly upwards at the surface of the water. 
I further heard that Mr. Martoadhiningrat, ex-regent of Krawang 
had reared bandeng in fresh water at Purwakarta. In reply to my inquiries 
Mr. Martoadhiningrat wrote to me on July 14th 1918 to the effect 
that he had as a matter of fact reared bandeng at Purwakarta in perfectly 
fresh water, together with goldfish (Cyprinus carpio var. flavipinnis C. V.°)) 
and gurameh (Osphromenus olfax COMM.). The young bandeng which he 
bought and transferred to his fresh-water pond was “a finger long”. After 
a year these animals reached a length of about 12 inches +). I do not 
know whether the young fish were suddenly transferred to fresh water, 
and if so when this happened, or whether they were gradually accustomed 
to fresh water. 
That the bandeng-fry can stand sudden and large variations of salinity, 
] consider probable from the fact that on October 15th 1918, in one of 
1) In contradistinction to the empang-bandeng. 
2) Also with a kind of harpoon, called tempuling, sea-bandeng is sometimes caught 
at Batavia. Regarding these different kinds of native fishing-gear cf. VAN KAMPEN (?”). 
3) I did not see these “goldfish”. Therefore | must remind that Carassius 
auratus (L.) has also been introduced in ponds in Java. - 
4) Mr. MARTOADHININGRAT spoke of 12 “duim”. 
