OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 239 



numerous tubercular teeth placed at a distance one from the 

 other ; on the lower jaw also conical teeth in front and isolated 

 tubercular ones behind ; mouth small ; eyes rather small above 

 the angle of the mouth ; nostrils remote from each other ; head 

 and body covered with soft skin, the upper profile of the head 

 oblique ; the dorsal fin is inserted before the ventrals ; these com- 

 posed of twelve rays ; there is no adipose fin ; the lateral rays of 

 the caudal extend a little over the tail, those of the caudal itself 

 become almost immediately as long as two-thirds of the head ; 

 they decrease in length after joining the anal, and thus give the 

 caudal the form of a rather acute point ; the rays of the anal are 

 very numerous, this fin extending to the vent which is a little 

 behind the insertion of the ventrals. These fish have rather the 

 form of Plotosus, but without the dorsal fin. This genus comes 



near Siluricthys. 



Neosilurus australis. 



Height of body contained rather less than five times in the 

 total length, without the caudal ; length of head, four times and 

 two-thirds in the same ; eye, seven times and one-third in the 

 length of the head, the outside barbel of the maxillary longer 

 than the others and nearly as long as half the head ; the lower 

 jaw is shorter than the upper ; the interocular space is contained 

 three times in the length of the head, and is covered with longi- 

 tudinal lines ; the lateral line is well marked, continuous ; the 

 ventrals are rather small and have twelve rays ; the pectorals 

 are contained about one and a half times in the length of the head ; 

 they are formed of one rather strong spine slightly arched and 

 barbed on its inner side, and of nine rays ; the dorsal is 

 narrow, rather high, with a slender simple spine and three rays. 

 The fish in spirits, is of a dark slate colour with the belly 

 rather white ; fins dark. 



The specimen is about eleven inches long ; it is from the 

 fresh water lagoons of Rockhampton and is called Jew Fish. 



Belone ferox. 

 Belone ferox, Gunth. Catal., vol. VI., p. 242. 

 This sort is very nearly allied to my B. gavialoides, but in this 

 latter sort the diameter of the eye is contained twice in the 



