Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-05-19
BURMESE ANIMAL LIFE.

The British BuYmah Gazetteer gives some
notes OF rare interest on the zoology OF the
country to which it relates. The mamma.
liza include the Malasian tapir, four species
of rhinoceros, fresh water dolphin and
bats. Most of the bats hibernate, as their
congeners do in Europe, and one is re-
marked for the reservoir of fat which it
accumulates in its tail, to serve 1t IN WIN
ter. The list Of birds run up to seven nun
bred and seventy three species. or hundred
more than there are in all Europe. A curl
GUS fact is that several species are found in
the Island of Java, 500 miles south, while
they are wholly wanting in the nelghborlng
peninsula of Malacca. Species that are
found in India only at the foot OF the HI
malayas, at a considerable elevation, occur
here at the level of the sea. Species OF
birds identical with those of Europe, or
similar 30 them, are not rare. The variety
of the fauna is explained by the physical
confguration of the region, where walk
OF a few hours will carry one from the
green sod of the meadows intersected by
fields TO the inaccessible preciplces OF
the granite mountains, from the sea-shore
iuugles of bamboo and the rich, tropical
vegetation of the coasts to immense virgin
forests and the stiff and dark pines OF the
mountain. sides. The list of reptiles Ia dis.
couragiDg to the settler, for it furnishes four
crocodiies and seventy serpenss, one OF
which is python thirty feet long, and the
bite IF fifteen is poisonous. The hat OF
fshea is the most interesting of all. LIZ IN
cludes the Andbas scandens, which they
say comes out of the wafer aud goes up into
the trees for insects species that have
reservoir Of air above the gills, and will die
of asphyxia if they are kept under water
snd prevented from drawing air directly
from the atmosphere a sluroid that has
an accessory respiratory apparatus attached
to the branchiie: and TIE fish. scorpion,
which has long air. vessel passing across
the muscles of the back, and communicate
ing interiorly with the giiis this explains
how these fish can live IN mud. These
respiratory organs seem closely adapted to
the estlvation which is the forced conse-
quencs Of the pluvial regime OF the country.
After heavy shower numerous 1sh Will
make their appearance in places that were
absolutely dry few hours before. Living
fishes Of certain species may be found buried
two feet below the dry surface CT the soil.
The 0phiocepbaEd9, like our eels, pass
from one pond to another by gliding
through the moist grass, and the Aniphip.
nous cuchid loves to rest on the ground
hidden in high grass and one may see it
leap into the water when he approaches it.
Tne Ophiocephatus stratus builds nest
with it's tail among the aquatic plants on
the banks of the rivers, and finishes it off
with blades OF grass, which it cuts with its
mouth. The eggs are laid in the nest, and
the male takes care of them, or, if he dies
or is captured, the female takes his place.
Both watch the fry with as much care as a
hen takes of her chickens, but will drive
them away when they have become large
enough, and will eat them up if they DO not
go. The male of the Arius bumanicas
matches out it's little ones IN It's mouth !;
fifteen or twenty eggs in different stages of
development, and even recently Matched
Young ones, may be found in the buccal
cavity and on the franchise and, during
the whole period of this incubation, the
fish takes no food. The varieties OF the
fauna OF this country support the hypoth-
esis that it was primitively an archipelago,
separated by the arms OF the sea. The
forms are often totally different on mount
aims, having precisely the same geological
formation, only fifteen or twenty miles
apsr.,-[ Popular Science Monthly.