222 TREUBIA VOL. II, 2—4. 
LAWICK VAN PABST (!7) mean the vegetation described in Chapter IV as 
consisting of algae (Chaetomorpha, Enteromorpha etc.) and of higher sub- 
merged water-plants (Ruppia rostellata and sometimes also Najas 
falciculata). 
The sentence: “The fish however, does not live on the water-plants 
“themselves, but only consumes them when they have perished and begun to 
“decay”, is not quite correct, as I frequently had opportunities of observing 
bandeng most positively eating young, fresh, perfectly living Chaetomorpha, 
Enteromorpha, Vaucheria, Najas- and Ruppia-leaves, etc. But it centainly 
contains a kernel of truth. For indeed I have already communicated how 
various. bandeng-rearers at Batavia and Tjilintjing told me that the 
Chaetomorpha-vegetation is only at its best as bandeng-food when it has 
grown “old”. | 
Whatever truth there may be in the story that the bandeng should 
stir up the pond-bottom with its tail to get food, I would not venture to 
say. At Batavia I have never heard or seen anything of the kind. Finally there 
is no. occasion for surprise in DE JAAGER and VAN LAWICK VAN PABST (!°) 
not knowing the “tay-ayer” organisms. Further I must once more remind 
the reader that DE JAAGER and VAN LAWICK VAN PABST (!?) in their statements 
refer exclusively to the marine fish-ponds east of Kendal, and chiefly to 
the fish-ponds of Djuwana and Sourabaya. 
Also from the passage quoted from the Synopsis of the Section- 
reports of the Prosperity Commission (Samentrekking van de Afdeelings- 
verslagen der Welvaartcommissie (!%)) the main fact ultimately emerges, 
as from all the other citations, that the food of the bandeng is of a vegetable 
nature. 
§ 4. The Bandeng in the Batavia Empangs. 
The bandeng-roe. 
The Enemies of the Bandeng living in the Batavia Empangs. 
The manner in which the bandeng-fry (usually called at Batavia “üget”, 
but of course also “bibit!)-bandeng”) is caught in the sea quite close 
to the shore, has been described by VAN KAMPEN (?7) (page 73 and 74) 
in detail and quite correctly. VAN KAMPEN (?7) mentions that the catching 
of bandeng-bibit takes place “chiefly during the turns of the monsoons 
(March-April and September-November)”. Hence at Batavia bandeng-rearers will 
tell one that the new bandeng-fry is planted in the fry-ponds (pembibitan) 
in the third and ninth Chinese months, i.e. in April-May and in October- 
November. Elsewhere VAN KAMPEN (?°) reports: “the great planting of fry... 
in the months of February and March”. This is not quite correct; the 
spring-planting takes place as I have said in April and/or May. VAN KAMPEN (2°) - 
1) bibit (Malay) = brood, seedling. 
