348 
FISHES. 
[Chap. X. 
and traverse the damp grass 1 ; and Sir John Bowringi, 
in his account of his embassy to the Siamese kings in 
1855, states, that in ascending and descending the river 
Meinam to Bankok, he was amused with the novel sight 
of fish leaving the river, gliding over the wet banks, 
and losing themselves amongst the trees of the jungle. 2 
The class of fishes endowed with this power are chiefly 
those with labyrinthiform pharyngeal bones, so disposed 
in plates and cells as to retain a supply of moisture, 
which, whilst theyare crawling on land, gradually exudes 
so as to keep the gills damp. 3 
The individual most frequently seen in these excur- 
sions in Ceylon is a perch called by the Singhalese 
Kavaya or Kaivhy-ya, and by the Tamils Pannei-eri 9 
or Sennal. It is closely allied to the Anabas scandens 
of Cuvier, the Perca scandens of Daldorf. It grows to 
about six inches in length, the head round and covered 
with scales, and the edges of the gill-covers strongly 
denticulated. Aided by the apparatus already adverted 
to in its head, this little creature issues boldly from its 
native pools and addresses itself to its toilsome march 
generally at night or in the early morning, whilst the 
grass is still damp with the dew ; but in its distress it 
is sometimes compelled to move by day, and Mr. E. L. 
Layard on one occasion encountered a number of them 
travelling along a hot and dusty road under the midday 
sun. 4 
1 Pallegoix, vol. i. p. 144. the government-agent of Trinco- 
2 Sir J. Bowring's Siam, #c, malie, writing to me on this sub- 
vol. i. p. 10. ject in 1856, says— "I was lately 
3 Cxjviee and Valenciennes, on duty inspecting the bund of a 
Hist. Nat. des Poisso7ts, torn. vii. large tank at Nade-cadua, which, 
p. 246. being out of repair, the remaining 
4 Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., water was confined in a small 
May, 1853, p. 390. Mr. Morris, hollow in the otherwise dry bed. 
