til the FisJi Gallery of ttie Indian Museum. 73 



in India, only four are peculiar to the Indo-Pacific 

 region. In the case of Albula, the same species [Albula 

 conorhynchus) is found off the West Indies and neigh- 

 bouring coasts, off Cape Verde and its vicinity, in the 

 Red Sea, and off the coasts of the Oriental Region. In 

 the case of Elops, the same species {Elops saurus) is 

 found in the West Indian Region, at the Cape of Good 

 Hope and off the shores of East Africa, and in Oriental 

 seas. This distribution of genera of a family that 

 dates from Cretaceous times, corresponding as it does 

 with that of the Berycidce and Scopelida', both of which 

 are contemporary with the Herrings, is highly interest- 

 ing. Among the existing Indian Herrings the most 

 important is the Hilsa, the economic possibilities of 

 which are enormous ; for it is a true herrring {Clupea) 

 and lends itself to capture in shoals, and is undoubtedly 

 as fit to be salted and smoked as its congener of British 

 seas. 



Family IX. Chirocentridce [Case 69]. 



This family contains a single genus and species, 

 CJiirocentrus dorab, peculiar to the Indian Ocean. It has 

 a resemblance to a Herring, but the body is low and ex- 

 tremely long. 



Family X. Alepoceplialidce [Case 68]. 



The members of this family are found only in the 

 depths of the sea : they are closely related to the Her- 

 rings. The Indian genera are : — 



(1) Alepoeephalus, which also occurs in the Atlantic 

 and Mediterranean : it has a scaly body but a scale- 

 less head : three species are found in Indian seas, at 

 240 to 902 fathoms : 

 10 



