EXPLANATORY INDEX. 455 



back into the water in this injured condition, they were im- 

 mediately set upon and devoured by their companions. Even 

 as one was being hauled in on the line, its comrades, seeing 

 that it was in difficulties, attacked it at once. One day, when 

 the boat was hauled in to some rocks, a few of the men were 

 engaged shooting iish near by, and in so doing wounded a 

 large haimara. 



" Having escaped from its human tormentors, it made for 

 the open river, but was instantly attacked by Perai attracted 

 by the blood escaping from its wound, and was driven back to 

 the shelter of the rocks close to the boat, from which I had a 



good view of the chase. The large fish followed by its savage 

 enemies reminded me of a parallel case on land — a stricken 

 deer pursued by wolves. 



"The Perai, fortunately, lie only ofE sand-beaches and in 

 quiet pools, not frequenting the cataracts, where their presence 

 would be anything but acceptable to the men while working 

 in the water. I was fortunate enough to find the spawning 

 place of some Perai on the matted clusters of fibrous roots of 

 some lianes, which hung from the branches of a tree into the 

 water, amongst which much earthy sediment had collected, 

 and many small aquatic plants had grown. The sediment 

 gave weight to the roots which kept the clusters under water, 

 and the force of the current made them buoyant, giving the 

 lianes a slope when the river was high, which kept them not 

 far from its surface. • 



