FAUNA OF THE CHILKA LAKE 



PREFACE. 



Some years ago a series of short papers on the fauna of brackish pools at Port 

 Canning in the Gangetic delta was published in the Records of the Indian Museum. 

 I had intended to make these the basis of a much more comprehensive study of the 

 fauna of brackish water in Bengal and other parts of India, but as time went on it 

 became evident that the area of these pools was too limited, and their biological 

 equilibrium too subject to interference on the part of man, for them to be regarded 

 as in any way typical. On several occasions I had visited the Chilka Lake for the 

 purpose of collecting the animals of its shores and islands, but it was not until July, 

 1913, when bottom-nets were used for the first time, that the real interest of the 

 lake fauna became apparent. On this occasion I was so struck by the association of 

 marine and freshwater forms that I sent to Calcutta for'Mr. Kemp to join me at 

 Barkul and we drew up together a scheme for a comprehensive zoological survey of 

 the lake. 



In due course our plan was laid before the Trustees of the Indian Museum, who 

 accepted it in a most generous spirit and put aside ample funds for its realization. 

 With their approval we hired the only steam-launch on the lake, obtained the 

 necessary apparatus by purchase from Europe or from local sources and arranged to 

 spend, together or severally, a considerable part of the year 1914 on the lake or its 

 shores. 



I take this opportunity to state that all the physical observations whereby the 

 positions of our collecting-stations were established and the varying salinity of the 

 water ascertained were made by Mr. Kemp, whose practical experience of marine 

 investigations is more extensive than my own. 



So far as the preparation of this volume is concerned, we have worked in the 

 strictest collaboration, and even those reports that are issued in the name of one of 

 us have had the benefit of revision at the hands of the other. Our acknowledgment 

 of the assistance we have received is expressed in a general manner in the Introduc- 

 tion that follows ; in the case of reports on the groups that we have not ventured to 

 discuss ourselves from a taxonomic point of view, the papers themselves will provide 

 the best proof .of our indebtedness. 



N. ANNANDALE, 

 CALCUTTA : Superintendent of the Indian Museum. 



May 14th, 1915. 



