The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 193 



yellowish gray below and often has from 

 eight to ten dark cross bars. Behind the 

 operculum is a roundish black spot and on 

 top of the head another of light rust-brown 

 color and oval shape. The pectoral fins are 

 orange-colored and the dorsal fin brownish. 

 The eyes are of a golden yellow. While the 

 coloring is changeable and of different in- 

 tensity according to outside conditions, the 

 males are, as a rule, darker than the fe- 

 males and their colors are more sharply de- 

 fined. 



The Anabas is found in the shallow and 

 stagnant waters of Ceylon and the East fil- 

 ches. It lives well in the aquarium and re- 

 quires no extra care. Shy in the beginning, 

 it will hide behind stones or among the 

 plants, but it soon familiarizes itself with 

 its surroundings and becomes very tame. 

 As the fish frequently tries to jump out of 

 the water, it is safer to cover the aquarium 

 with a wire netting. 



The Snakehead Fish (Ophioccphalus pwicta- 



