Gourami

Gourami, the native name of Osphromenus olfax, a fish of the family Labyrinthici from the rivers of the East Indian Archipelago. The head is small, the body compressed and elevated, the dorsal and anal fins bear numerous spines, and the outer ray of each ventral is produced into a long filament This species, which is a valuable food-fish, is domesticated in the East, as the carp is with us, and is said to attain the size of a large turbot. It is one of the few fishes that build nests, and it watches over the young after they are hatched. The Fighting-fish (q.v.) is closely allied.