March r, 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
643 
flesh is desoribed as producing giddiness at a parti- 
cular season when the fish feeds on the blossoms of 
the imtiwiru. The iuduru is the Saturn anthelminticum. 
Tlie hingwru, with which a correspondent confounds 
it, is Acacia concinna. Gamble says nothing about 
the blossoms of this latter tree, but he states that 
" its thick fleshy pods are used for washing 
the hair, and the acid leaves are eaten." The 
question of the unwholesomeness of fish at certain 
Beasons and the causes are worthy of investigation. 
Freshwater fish in Ceylon are in special disrepute 
amongst Europeans on aocount of the serious effeots 
whicli sometimes follow the eating of them. A 
friend, who recently partook of some at the house 
of a nativo host, under the impression that he was 
partaking of sea fish, described to us the symptoms 
which followed, as determination of blood to the 
surface and heat which threatened apoplexy. It does 
not seem probablo that the mere faot of fishes eating 
the blossoms of a tree would lead to such effects. We 
should rather suppoct putridity, to which freshwater 
fish, especially those taken from muddy pools, may be 
more liable than sea fish ? An analysis of the 
blossoms of the induru and the hmguru would be 
interesting with reference to their possession, 
fresh or decomposed in tho rivers, of any 
property likely to affect injuriously the flesh 
of fish feeding on them. Mahseer and other 
fish cultivated oarefully in lakes, tanks or ponds 
would be, of course, properly fed with rice 
and other suitable articles, and we might expect 
the flesh to be good in proportion and perfectly 
innocuous. Information from those who have eaten 
fish from ponds on estates would be valuable, with 
reference to fish culture in Ceylon. Its systematic 
pursuit has been too long neglected, and ought 
now to be onoouraged and energetically pursued. 
We are far behind India, especially Bengal, in 
thi3 matter. Of the laid, which has always been 
regarded as the best of the freshwater fishes, Mr. 
Pereira gives a most interesting account, which 
we quote to make this notice of two fishes so 
closely alike in quality of flesh and name, although 
so different in appearanoe, complete: — 
Laid.— This fish, like the oel, is confined to fresh water, 
subsisting permanently in that element. It is called 
in Sinhalese Jtdl-jmt-malu, because its principal habitat 
is the undraiued portions of fields in whioh the water is 
dark and the mud deep and therefore never cultivated. 
Other favourite resorts whero it thrives best are the 
ponds and deep hollows where the water is uotagitated 
by currents and especially where it has the benefit of 
shudu from overhanging trees. If it enters a river it 
is by being forced out of its retreat by occasional cur- 
rents produced by excess of rain, and there it has a 
poor cbanco of existence unless it is large, for it falls a 
proy to thetntu&i. Its general colour is black above, 
but various intermediate shades may be observed ac- 
cording to the cleanness of tho water ; the sides are 
marked with a row of broad abbreviated white stripes 
iuoreasing in length towards the tail ; the belly and 
Utfoat are marked with numerous dark spots. It at- 
tains tho length of two feet ; when full grown tho lower 
j. becomes the more projeoting.it being furnMiod 
with but a few sharp teeth while the upper jaw has a 
considerable Dumber of minute ouos. The head is large 
aud compressed, the gill covers small and produced 
backward-, the body long, and the scales small. It is a 
oteat feeder and errremelv bold. It is treated almost 
as a domestic animal by the natives. They keep it in 
wells to frwc them of aquatic insects, tadpoles, and small 
frogs. It is a tyrant in its own retreat, keeping in awe 
all other smaller lish, and it has a special antipathy to 
tho presence nf the lan-i,;,,, n lish of tho same family 
Md ltr» much resembling tho luld. and tho kanntju is 
eaten up wherever seen run I so considered the best bait 
to fish tho tulti. T... is an old saying aninni; tho na- 
tives in which these two liguro lo illustrate tho assump- 
tion and tyranny of upstarts and of some subordinates 
iu the absence of thoir superiors: "gQj Ob ^ 
ZSi&Scjsi CJOj'Sjsjcoa'd," liila najti wale kanaya. pan- 
ditayalu, Iu tho hollow where the laid is not, the 
kanayd presumes to display his authority. This saying 
is based upon the fact that tho kanayd really assumes 
all the ferocity and boldness of the lidd in its absence, 
and resembling it in appearance so very much that it 
is often mistaken for the luld. Although tho luld com- 
mits great havoc among smaller fishes.it will not stand 
the attack of the kdwayyd (Anahus). This wary fish 
would hide itself under some cover, and suddenly 
darting from its retreat snaps a piece from the laid and 
dart back again to its cover. If the luld is once wounded 
there is little chance for its escape as the wounded part 
offers a great temptation to the anahus to follow it and 
repeat its attack. 
Tho luld, is monogamous, living iu pairs, and exhi- 
bits great parental instinct. In the breeding season 
the pair would leave their ordinary resort and frequent 
the shallow margins of ponds, which afford shelter 
from a quantity of grass growing about them and which 
are best adapted for the development of the ova. 
The female is said to deposit tho ova quite matured and 
contained in a sack of two lobos among the grass and 
both the male and the female remain by its side till 
the spawn is hatched, guarding it with great solicitudo 
agaiust every too. if driven from the spot by an enemy 
with which they cannot cope they do not remove far, 
and speedily returu. The young of the luld, soon after 
their emersion from the ova present a beautiful appear- 
ance, the colour being purple ; they keep crowding to- 
gether around the parent fishes and being guided by 
them roam along the margin to feed. When the fry 
have attained a oertain size, the parent fishes lead them 
to their own retreat and protect them with the most 
devoted care. But they are not long allowed to re- 
main in a group ; when they are able to provide for 
themselves food and protection, they are dispersed by 
force. For this purpose the parent fishes rush upon 
the shoal and sometimes bite them to effect their dis- 
persion. This display of parental instinct for the better 
protection and maintenance of their offspring has given 
them a bad name among the natives as being fishes 
noted for the destruction of their own progeny. 
The bony skeleton of the lulu, is of a peculiar con- 
struction — the vertebra has three short spiney projec- 
tions extending through the whole length, one vertical 
and two lateral, aud the flesh is embedded as if in three 
lobes botween them. The flesh contains some thin 
flexible spines which ronders the eating of it rather 
difficult to those who do not follow tho primitive mode 
of eating with the fingers. The flesh is eitremely deli, 
cate and of excellent flavour. The natives prize it so 
much that they consider it superior to every other fish 
both fresh water and t lie soa. Their doctors prescribe 
it when salted for patients suffering with fovcr and 
consumption as an article of diet suited to their health. 
It is not only thus proscribed for invalids, but when 
dried aud pounded is also used in the preparation of a 
medicine called churnc by native doctors. This is pre- 
scribed to thoBO who aro alllictod with various cutane- 
ous diseases, as the fat and flesh of the dndu etl are pre- 
scribed for persons sufforiug from hemorrhoidal dis- 
eases and hemorrhage from the stomach. Another 
purpose for which the flesh of the luld is used is in tho 
manner of a poultice over ulcers infested with miuuto 
maggots which oannot bo drawn out with pincers or by 
any other mode. For this purpose the dead laid is kept 
over one night to soften, and tho flesh is freed from 
spines and applied over tho ulcers — tho native dootors 
say that the maggots enter the flesh of the lulu abandon- 
ing their retreats in tho ulcers. 
Two other species, belonging to the same family, 
called katumaha and urd attaiu tho length of three feet 
and arc seldom brought to tho market. Their habits 
generally corn spond with those of tho Kid and they 
afford excellent food for man. Tho kalumnlui is blacker 
than the ICla and has uo white stripes along the side?, 
and tho abdomen is of a dusky huo; tho iim is black 
Hnd spotted. Theso two species inhabit tho deep 
streams which ootnmuuioatu with theriveri. The fishes 
belonging to the aperies are never font d in the 
soi. Wo havu not as yet boon able to try the effect of 
.-0:1 water on this fish, but thiuk it will liavo the aaiuo 
