SUNIER: Marine fish-ponds of Batavia. 219 
“among which the kuntul !) and blekok ?) are the principal, settle 
“on these shrubs and the fish prey upon the droppings of those sea-birds, 
“to which the fatness of the bandeng near Grissee is ascribed; and finally 
“because these shrubs being thinned out or lopped once or twice a year 
“sell advantageously as fire-wood”. On page 32 VAN SPALL (?) further 
writes: “The fish in the ponds are not artificially fed; their food consists of 
“a green vegetable mossy” (sic) “accretion of the bottom, known to the 
“native by the name of “lumut” (= algae) together with the excrements 
“of the sea-birds.” He finally states on page 48 “that in the neighbourhood 
on Semarangı therfiey, za. are sometimes fed with bran”. 
In “Zeevisscherijen langs de kusten der eilanden” (°) (page 12) only 
part of the passages just cited from VAN SPALL () is quoted (not 
verbatim). 
DABRY DE THIERSANT (©) only says (p. 86) “Les ikan-bandeng se nour- 
“rissent de végétaux (Salvinia? Pistia?) qui se développent spontanément 
“dans les réservoirs, et aussi, dit on, des déjections des oiseaux de mer.” 
In DE JAAGER and VAN LAWICK VAN PABST (!’) on pages 23 and 24 
the following passage is met with: “The laying cb of the ponds referred 
“to above serves a double purpose. 
“In the first place this enables one to keep the ponds at a BEODEN 
“depth as will be further dealt with under the heading “working expenses”; 
“in the second place it is conducive to the formation of moss and duck- 
“weed (“kroos”) in the ponds. For in fact the presence of vegetable 
“and animal matter seems to be good for the fishes. 
“The same purpose is served by the planting of tandjang®),api-api®, 
“duduk*) and waru ®) in the ponds and along the banks and walls; 
“the dropping of faeces, leaves, dung and other refuse into the ponds; the 
“cutting and stacking of the grass shooting up in some of the ponds, and 
“for that purpose also the growth of moss and duck-weed is promoted. 
“The fish however does not live on the water-plants themselves but only 
“consumes them when they have perished and begun to decay. | 
“It is also to furnish them with food in this condition (called “klékap’’) 
“that the draining-dry takes place, for this affords an opportunity of 
“exposing the aquatic plants to the solar heat and the influence of the air, 
“thus causing them to die and rot. 
“When the pond is subsequently filled with water the fish find their 
“food in the form in which they can take it. The pond-owners relate 
“that to this end they” (viz. the fish) “stir up the bottom with their tails, 
“thus temporarily forcing the klekap up. 
') According to our ornithologist Mr. M. E. G. BARTELS Garzeffa nigripes TEMM 
and perhaps also Herodias alba L.. 
According to Mr. M. E. G. BARTELS Ardeola speciosa HORSF.. 
3) cf. note 3), page 218. 
Dr cis note), pare 218: 
5) Lumnitzera racemosa WILLD.. 
6) Hibiscus tiliaceus L.. 
