ON A NEW GENUS OF FISHES FROM INDIA. 185 



llirougliout the family, unless Brotula (the number of whose 

 ventral rays I have not seen mentioned) should prove to be 

 an exception. It may be thus characterised. 



Genus, Bregmaceros. Cantor, MS. 



Body elongated : two dorsals ; one anal ; ventrals very long, consisting 

 of several rays: chin without barbule: a filament projecting from the top 

 of the head. 



Species, Bregmaceros McClellandi. Cantor, MS. ' 



Head small j frontal filament equal to one fourth the length of body ; 

 ventrals equal to half its length ; first dorsal high, subtriangular ; second 

 very long, low and equal anteriorly, then moderately high ; anal resem- 

 bling three fins joined, the first portion high and subtriangular, the second 

 low and equal, the third of moderate height ; dorsal and anal correspond- 

 ing to each other throughout ; caudal foiled. 



Description. — Length 3 inches, depth ^ an inch, thick- 

 ness J of an inch. Dorsal profile somewhat arched to first 

 D. fin, thence decreasing very gradually to the tail ; ventral 

 convex to the vent, thence coiTesponding with the dorsal out- 

 line. Head small, occupying one sixth of the entire length ; 

 snout truncated ; lower jaw barely exceeding the upper; teeth 

 numerous along the margin of both jaws, those in the up- 

 per very small and uniform, those in the lower varying in 

 size, and some considerably larger than those in the upper, 

 all pointed and hooked inwards ; similar teeth in front of vo- 

 mer : tongue large and fleshy : ege Inline in diameter, placed 

 at this distance from the snout ; a similar space intervening 

 between the eyes ; that between them and posterior line of 

 opercle equal to twice their diameter ; protected in front by a 

 slightly-elevated bony process, within which, and near to the 

 upper margin of the eyes, are situated the nostrils, which are 

 simple apertures ; operculum rounded ; rays of branchioste- 

 gous membrane — ? ^ filamentous or un articulated appendage 

 originating 4 lines from base of snout, 9 lines in length, very 

 delicate ; from its base to first D. is a deep chan- J^^ 

 nel, with slightly-elevated TriglaAike scales on ^ 

 either side, but smooth-margined. Scales of mod- 

 erate size, somewhat rounded at their free margins, 

 delicately sculptured,-' twelve in an oblique row from vent 

 to dorsal profile ; lateral line unmarked by colour and hardly 



* The name was the only MS. left with me on the subject. The species 

 was named by Dr. Cantor in honour of his friend, J. McClelland, Esq., 

 whose researches in the Zoology and Geology of India are well known. 



2 Seven are given as a family character : in this instance I could not be 

 satisfied of the number, four only being reckoned with certainty. Repeti- 

 tions of some of the family characters appear in the description, as I did 

 not consider them misplaced in a genus entirely new. 



^ See figure 7, which is a magnified view of a scale from the lateral line. 

 Vol. IV.— No. 40. n. s. " y 



