316 FEOM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



others being often depicted on the monuments and in hiero- 

 glyphics. The Gymnarchus, also represented in the Goshng 

 collection, is a large eel-shaped mormyr, growing to 5 or 6 ft., 

 whose curious nesting-habits were first observed a few years 

 ago in the Gambia by the late Mr. J. S. Budgett. The fish 

 makes large floating nests in the dense grasses of the swamps 

 in which it lives, and the male keeps guard on the nest, 

 being at this time extremely fierce and much dreaded by the 

 natives, who seek the eggs for food. 



" There are several kinds of cat-fishes (Siluridce), one of the 

 most noteworthy being the Harmut (Clarias), which is pro- 

 vided with an accessory respiratory organ above the gills, 

 by means of which it is able to breathe atmospheric air 

 during the periods of drought. The Harmut may live for 

 weeks in burrows in dried-up marshes, leaving its retreat at 

 night in search of food, crawhng about like a snake. 



" The great Perch of the Nile {Lates niloticus), which grows 

 to a length of 7 ft., is also represented in Lake Chad. It 

 was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, and numberless 

 mummies of the fish have been found at Esneh, the Latopolis 

 of the Greeks. 



" The Bolti {Tilapia nilotica) is a small perch-Uke fish, also 

 frequently depicted by the ancient Egyptians, highly remark- 

 able for its nursing habits. The male makes a sort of nest 

 to which he conveys the female ; as soon as the eggs are 

 laid the mother takes them up in her mouth and pharynx, 

 and keeps them until the tiny fry are strong enough to swim 

 about. This they do in shoals escorted by the parents, who 

 courageously defend them from all enemies, and they have 

 been observed to return for shelter in the maternal mouth. 



