208 TREUBIA VOL. II, 2--4. 
The stomachs of these animals were closely packed with said leaves. 
The stomach of the third of these three bandeng was also replete, but 
contained, besides leaves of Najas falciculata and of Ruppia rostellata, also 
some young thin Enteromorpha-tubes and a few Folliculina’s '), belonging 
to the Ciliata Heterotrichida, and living attached to algal filaments. 
While the fish were being caught Mr. Görs informed me that when 
feeding on “mud” the bandeng does not grow well. The proper food of 
the larger bandeng was “lumut”, that is to say the submerged vegetation 
consisting chiefly of Chaetomorpha, further of Enteromorpha and Ruppia, 
sometimes of Najas and often of still other components, which reaches up 
to just beneath the surface of the water, and which has been described 
in Chapter IV (compare also our photos 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14 and 15; Plates VII, 
VIII, IX, XI, XIV, XV, XXII, and XXIII). 
On the other hand “mud-cream” or “tay-ayer” was the right food 
for the bandeng-fry. 
In Chapter IV I have already stated that “tay-ayer” consists mainly of 
Schizophyceae-threads (Oscillatoria, Lyngbya, Spirulina, Microcoleus, Nostoc, 
etc.) and further also of Diatoms such as Pleurosigma. 1 also stated 
there that “tay-ayer” develops at the bottom of the empangs especially 
after that bottom had been lying dry fora couple of days. Since the stomachs 
of the bigger bandeng which according to Mr. Görs had fed on “mud” 
contained a large quantity of Oscillatoria-filaments, it seems to me that 
there is not so very much difference between what Mr. Görs calls feeding 
on “mud” and feeding on “mud-cream”. In both cases the food consists 
of the “tay-ayer” organisms, developing at the bottom of the ponds, as 
described in Chapter IV. The only difference is that the larger ponds 
of Mr. Görs, among which are also those in which “lumut” is not 
available, so that the bandeng must needs feed on “mud”, are not so 
often drained dry as the smaller fry-ponds in which the bandeng-fry eats 
“mud-cream”, the regular laying dry of the fry-ponds taking place, also 
according to Mr. Görs, for the very purpose of promoting the growth of 
“tay-ayer”’. I conclude therefore that in this case I ought to understand 
“mud” as meaning a less rich development of “tay-ayer”, and “mud-cream” 
as designating a richer development of the same. 
This laying dry of the fry-ponds in particular is indeed already men- 
tioned by VAN SPALL (?) (page 29) and by DE JAAGER and VAN LAWICK 
VAN PABST (!7) (page 21). The latter authors ('7) however also discuss 
(page 23) the laying dry of the larger ponds and its importance for the 
feeding of the bandeng ?). VAN KAMPEN (') also says: “The laying dry” 
(of a pond in general) “appears to be necessary in order to prevent the 
souring of the soil, and to promote the growth of the algae that serve 
as food for the fish”. 
5 1) Compare Chapter VIII. 
2) Compare also our page 219. 
oor nnn fa 
