No - VI ] NOTICES OF THE FISHES. 



713 



not so thick. The pylorus, which is much contracted, terminates the ascending part. 

 The rest of the intestine runs downwards in a straight line to the anus ; its coats are 

 very thin, but two or three inches of its inferior part are strengthened by some cir- 

 cular rugae of its internal membrane, and round its upper part seventeen or eighteen 

 caeca, from one-half to two inches long, are inserted within the space of three-quarters 

 of an inch. The liver is small, without lobes, and there is a large spleen attached 

 to the lower curvature of the stomach. The air-bladder is large, and communicates 

 with the oesophagus. 



The pectorals are scimitar shaped, and pointed, and reach rather more than 

 halfway to the insertion of the ventrals. The dorsal fin is probably by far the largest 

 in this genus ; it contains twenty-four rays : the two or three first are small, but the 

 others, increasing rapidly in height, as their origin is more posterior, become more 

 and more branched, and cause the fin to play loosely like a flag over the posterior 

 part of the body ; the insertion of the fin occupies about one-third of the length of 

 the body, and the extremity of its posterior ray, which is five inches long, reaches 

 as far as the adipose fin. The extraordinary size and beautiful colours of this fin 

 form the great ornament of the fish. The adipose fin is tongue-shaped, about one inch 

 long, and situate opposite the posterior edge of the anal. The ventrals are large, 

 obliquely fan-shaped, and placed opposite the centre of the dorsal. The anal fin is 

 rather small ; it contains ten rays, besides two or three very short ones, which lie over 

 the base of the first one ; the others become shorter as they recede ; a naked space, 

 equal to the length of the insertion of this fin, is left between it and the tail. The 

 caudal has a shallow crescentic form, the lower lobe being slightly larger than the 

 upper one. Most of the fin is covered with very small scales, densely tiled. 



B 8. P 17. D 24. A I0f. V 9. C 20±. 

 This beautiful fish inhabits strong rapids. Its stomach is generally filled with 

 gravel, or black earth. It bites eagerly at the artificial fly, and, deriving great power 

 from its large dorsal fin, affords much sport to the angler. Its rectum is filled with 

 black faeces. The ordinary length of the species is about sixteen inches, exclusive of 

 the caudal fin, or about twelve inches from the snout to the anus. As an article of 

 food it is inferior to the attihhawmegh. It is found only in the clear rivers to the 

 northward of Great Slave Lake. 



In the figure, which is an accurate representation of the dried specimen, the pos- 

 terior part of the fin is scarcely produced enough, owing to a portion of it having broken 

 off in the carriage* 



4 Y 



