316 Miscellaneous. 



clad ; face nude and dusky, flatter than in the last. Twenty inches 

 long. Tail, less hair, nine and a half ; hand four and a quarter ; 

 foot five and seven- eighths. Hab. Northern region of hills exclu- 

 sively. Fur fuller and more wavy than in Oinops. 



N.B. In all the above three species the digits are basally con- 

 nected by membrane, which in the posterior extremities reaches for- 

 ward beyond the first phalanges. In the first, the thumb scarcely 

 reaches the base of the metacarpus ; in the second and third species, 

 it extends only half way down the first phalanx of the index. In the 

 posterior extremities the same digit has a size and strength, espe- 

 cially in the Macaci, more analogous to those of the thumb in our 

 hand. In Semnopithecus this digit extends a little beyond the base 

 of the metacarpus ; in the Macaci to the end of first phalanx of 

 proximate digit. — Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. ix. 

 p. 1211. 



Nepal, March 1841. 



PILOT FISH. 



To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 



Gentlemen,- — As an illustration of natural history, I send you 

 an account of a Pilot-fish {Naucrates ductor) which I obtained No- 

 vember 8th, to which a singularity attaches, in its having been 

 caught in fresh water. The person who sent it to me was passing 

 Plympton St. Mary Bridge, in this neighbourhood, and observed se- 

 veral individuals vainly endeavouring to catch a strange fish in a 

 shallow part of the river (Tory-brook, a branch of the Plym), but 

 which vigorously evaded their efforts ; he instantly cut a rod from the 

 hedge, and after some time succeeded in spearing it. I got it the 

 same day, quite fresh, and observed that it displayed several variations 

 from Mr. Yarrell's description (' British Fishes/ vol. i.), not sufficient 

 however to constitute specific differences : thus, the circular bands 

 did not appear to surround the body of the fish, being not at all di- 

 stinguishable on the back, which was a fine purplish black ; on a side- 

 view the bands scarcely reached above the lateral line ; the iris, in- 

 stead of being of a golden yellow, was a fine deep brown, and the ex- 

 treme points of the pectorals, ventrals, and tail were white and trans- 

 lucent ; the fish was 12 inches long, 1^ high, 7 inches round at the 

 vent, and weighed 11^ ounces. In a day or two however, as the 

 colours faded, the beautiful metallic blue of the abdomen turned to 

 a dull iron-gray, the bands became easily distinguishable all round 

 the fish, and the brown- coloured pigment of the iris gradually con- 

 tracted, leaving beneath a shining yellow circle ; I therefore infer 

 that Mr. Yarrell's account was taken from a specimen not perfectly 

 fresh. 



The Pilot-fish is by most writers stated to be rare among us, but 

 of all the Mediterranean species I think it is the most numerous. 

 Mr. Yarrell (' Brit. Fish.') mentions instances of several being ob- 

 tained here in 1831 and 1833, in addition to which I have notes of 

 several others ; thus, in July 1835, two were caught, one of which is 

 in the museum of the Plymouth Institution. In October 1838, two 

 followed a ship into Catwater, one of which I caught myself ; and 



