"Numerous attempts have been made by the French to introduce the gourami into their country, as well as into several of their provinces; and for a number of years consignments of the eggs, or the young, or adult fish, were made. Although at least partially successful, the fish has never been domiciliated in the Republic, and, indeed, it could not be reasonably expected that it would be, knowing, as we do, its sensitiveness to cold and the climates under which it thrives. "The fish of paradise (_Macropodus viridi-auratus_) is a species remarkable for its beauty and the extension of its fins, and especially of the ventrals, which has obtained for it the generic name _Macropodus_. To some extent this species has also been made the subject of fish-culture, but with reference to its beauty and exhibition in aquaria and ponds, like the goldfish, rather than for its food qualities. "The only other fish of the family that needs mention is the fighting-fish (_Betta pugnax_). It is cultivated by the natives of Siam, and a special race seems to have been the result of such cultivation. The fishes are kept in glasses of water and fed, among other things, with the larvæ of mosquitoes or other aquatic insects. 'The Siamese are as infatuated with the combats of these fishes as the Malays are with their cock-fights, and stake on the issue considerable sums, and sometimes their own persons and families. The license to exhibit fish-fights is farmed, and brings a considerable annual revenue to the king of Siam. The species abounds in the rivulets at the foot of the hills of Penang. The inhabitants name it 'pla-kat,' or the 'fighting-fish.'" The _Helostomidæ_ are herbivorous, with movable teeth on the lips and with long intestines. _Helostoma temmincki_ lives in the rivers of Java, Borneo, and Sumatra. The _Luciocephalidæ_ of East Indian rivers have the suprabranchial organ small, formed of two gill-arches dilated by a membrane. In these species there are no spines in the dorsal and anal, while in the _Anabantidæ_ and _Osphromenidæ_ numerous spines are developed both in the dorsal and anal. _Luciocephalus pulcher_ indicates a transition toward the _Ophicephalidæ_.