THE FISHES OF MALABAR. 
149 
Colours—Dark greyish above, dirty white beneath, with bands of grey passing vertically from 
the sides on to the abdomen: besides these streaks, there are some small dark grey spots inter¬ 
mingled. Cheeks and lower surface of the mouth streaked and spotted with grey. Ventral white, 
spotted with black or dark grey. Anal deep grey, with a line of greyish white at its base, which 
is also spotted. 
In a young specimen, captured June 17th, 1863, the posterior margin of the dorsal has a large 
black ocellus, and an orange tinge, whilst the bands of the body are continued on to the dorsal 
and anal fins. 
These fish are said to attain three feet in length, and inhabit all stagnant pieces of water and 
rivers, whilst their young may be found in every paddy field. They are able to progress to some 
distance along the ground, especially in moist places, and thus readily change their locality at the 
commencement of the monsoon. In progression they move by the aid of the pectoral and caudal 
fins. Owing to the cavity, capable of retaining water which is accessary to the gill cavity, they can 
live many hours out of their native element. I am informed that Captain Mitchell of the Madras 
Museum endeavoured in 1864 to try experimentally whether, if the O. striatus, the anabas scan- 
dens, and the saccobranchus singio were placed in suitable localities, and the superincumbent 
water were gradually removed, they would endeavour to force themselves into the mud beneath. 
Several inches of soft mud from a neighbouring tank was put inside a large vessel, and this 
was covered by a few inches of water. Here the fish were placed, and the water was permitted 
to gradually drain away, until only mud remained. All the fish died without attempting to bury 
themselves, the 0. striatus being the hist retaining vitality, and they rubbed for themselves a 
depression into which water drained whilst any remained, and then they also died without attempt¬ 
ing to force their way into the mud. 
This fish is very good eating, but muddy in some pieces of water. It is very voracious, and 
takes a bait freely. 
Habitat—Fresh waters of India, Ceylon, Burmah, Siam, Malaysia, China, and the Philippine 
Islands. 
Opiiiocephalus gachua. 
Ophiocephalus gachua, Ham. Bach. pp. 68, 367, pi. 21, f. 21; Gunther* Catal. iii. 
p. 471. 
# Dr. Gunther is of opinion that the O. aurantiacus, Ham. Buchanan , is identical with this 
species, hut considering the latter comes from a mountain stream, whilst the 0. gachua is from the low 
country, and the colours widely differ, I have not inserted it amongst the present synonyms, hut would 
suggest that it is a subject for further investigation. In justice to the researches of that talented 
naturalist, Dr. Hamilton Buchanan, I would observe that Dr. Gunther is mistaken in asserting of this 
fish (pi. 23, f. 22) that “ in fact the drawing is taken from the Hardwicke collection,” for the work of the 
former preceded that of the latter by eight years; whilst he died a year before the commencement of the 
publication of “ Illustrations of Indian Zoology.” It can hardly be considered a good reason that because 
the specimen does not now exist in Dr. Buchanan's collection, that he never possessed it, especially as he 
distinctly states, “ I found it in a pure mountain stream near Groyalpara, in the JS. E. frontier of Bengal.” 
Any one desirous of ascertaining how the two sets of drawings became intermixed may do so by referring 
to Dr. McClelland's paper in the Asiatic Researches , xix. p. 218, et seq., and Sir John Richardson's 
“ Report on the Ichthyology of the Seas of China and Japan,” in the report of the fifteenth meeting of “ the 
British Association for the Advancement of Science,” p. 188. ^ 
