APPENDIX. 257 



The first effort on the part of the French of which we 

 have knowledge was made in 1761, when several naval ofii- 

 cers — chief of whom were Captains De Surville, JoanniS; 

 and De Magny — took some fishes to the Isle of France or 

 Mauritius, but, it is said, rather for the gratification of the 

 sight and for eihibition in vases than with reference to its 

 eventual naturalization in the island. M. De G6t6, who 

 has been accredited with the introduction of the goldfish 

 into France, and who was at the time mentioned com- 

 mander of the French troops in the island, also interested 

 himself in the introduction of the species. Individual fish 

 placed in ponds propagated ; some escaped into the con- 

 tiguous streams, and the species had become already domi- 

 ciliated in the island when Commerson, the naturalist 

 traveller, visited it in 1770. 



The gourami was next introduced into the neighboring 

 island of Bourbon or Eeunion in 1795, at first through the 

 efforts of M. Desmani6res, a resident of the island, and who 

 imported specimens from Mauritius ; but his example was 

 soon followed by others. His experience has been given 

 by Mr. Vinson, and, on account of its important bearing 

 on the subject of its acclimatization in other lands, is re- 

 peated in his own words. M. Desmani^res had, " on his 

 estate of Bellevue, situated on the upland of the quarter 

 Sainte-Suzanne, a magnificent natural body of water with 

 two islets abounding in aquatic plants. Everything ap- 

 peared to be propitious for the raising of the gourami, but 

 the low temperature of this part of the island had not been 

 taken into consideration. The fishes lived, but did not 

 propagate. M. Desmani^res at first thought that the large 

 size of the pond might be the cause of this, and he had 

 made two vivaria, which may yet be seen, and which were 

 supplied by the large pond. In these vivaria the gouramis 

 were placed, but the result was no more fortunate. He 

 22* E 



