MAI. AY AX FISHES. 



From an at! 1 1* 'tic aiul ^iiortiiig p<ii?it view, lieeriiij^e it in- 

 dudes the Pepuyu (.Iw^/ww MUtnth-n^'i} the famoim dimlniijj Perdi, 

 mentioiiixl dn nil nfitural hist4;)rv boqksj as well aa the Ikan belaga. 

 the equally faniuiiti ii^^htiiijj fi&li. which I'iiliaiij? rajui^ Imve woo 

 and loiiit fubiiloH.s siiniti; flinl fmiti a ecieutific ijoiiit of siaw, l>ecftiii*e 

 all meml>ef^ i)f tlii* family are pfovided with su|j(*r-braru'hial res- 

 piratory urtfiuis. situated in a I'Hvity alnive the gill!? which ejiarbles 

 them to hve, hai^jily, out of water for ]on^ perioib. 



The Kol«i growrf to a Wnp.U of a-bout two ft»et mid is re^^arded 

 as jone of tlie hcst flavoured fishes in the Kast. It has Wn 

 cliiuatiml hi ludiu. the (juiaiin^. Mauritius end Australia, 



Daj' Trrites, 



" (Vnimjensoii who t^liserved it in tin* Matiritiiis iji 17Tn, 

 states tha he never at^e any fi4i mort- ext^uisit^? in flavour^ 

 whether from the sea or fresh water; he aLjo adfVni that in 

 Batavia the THitcjli reart^l them iu large wirthen potij, ehanging- 

 the water daily and feeiliiifr theJii on iKjthiri^r hut fre h wator 

 plants. e^p4*eially the Pufia natans,'' 



General Hfirduieke* ^ivei; an afwxiiit of the hreetiin^^ of thlij 

 fiehj apparently nionoganioiiii : he ol>servei-, 



"They commenee at six months; of ajfe, whilst th{*ir feciiu- 

 dity is fljit^nii.*hiii;^- During the href ding season, they JrequaH-^ 

 tlw gideti of taukii, where shelter is afforded them by tlu; fsrasse.j 

 and weed^s gromng in the water. For several day& they an* 

 very aeliv**, |>ftsi^ing in and out of their ^ra'sy eover, and in 

 flotne place> thickening it. hy entangling all trailintr j«h(Hjtti» 

 and formin*i: what is t^cMHTally eonisidered the ypot under which 

 the ovfl are dejmsiti'd, Thi*v ecmtiniie to watch tins plaee with 

 the grearef^! vigil Bircf, driving a^vay any intcrloijin^f^ fi^^h, and, 

 at the end of a mouth numerous fry appear, over which the old 

 gtm ramies keep wateh majiy days." 



I kept these fish iii a Iflrjije jiond at Kuala Pilah, haviug tot 

 <iaugM them with a eastin«r net in the Muar river. Their natural 

 food consists of aquatic plants and I usfd to eolleet the leaver they 

 HJce ami s^d a leaf at a time down tho stream until a Kalui row 

 to tlie bait. It wa^ then a simple matter to lure the fish iiearur ami 

 nearer, with carefully flicked leaves until it \vas close enou^^^h to lU}^ 

 place of etiiicealnjent to enable me to throw the net over the fioating 

 leaf lanler whieJi the fish was rising. 



There are probably many old friends^ who will remeiuljer the 

 little dinners iu Kuala Pilah. whea the lisli, fowl, niutbou and 

 ve^retahles were all loeally rjiised. 



The KaJui in my pcuid were fed daily on leaver, principally 

 wild caladium and tapioea slitwts. not thrown broad-casit but in- 

 serted in split bamhoo poles; whieh were pushed into the Iwttom of 

 the pond. They ate a tremendous* lot and ^ev,' vpry rapidly; 



1 Zool. Jmirn. IV, p. 30ft. 



