in the Fish Gallery of the Indian Museum. 75 



Family XIII. Sy mbranchidce [Case 73]. 



The SymbrdnchidfB are freshwater eels, having neither 

 pectoral nor ventral fins and only vestiges of vertical 

 fins — thus, in external appearance, much resembling 

 snakes. The gill-openings are confluent, and one of the 

 Indian species has the gill-chamber produced to form a 

 respiratory sack for breathing air, somewhat after the 

 fashion of the Singhi fish. The curious geographical 

 distribution of the Sy mbranchidce has already been com- 

 mented on. 



Family XIV. MuvamUlce [Cases 72-73]. 



The Eels are a very large family, of wide distribution. 

 Their body is snake-like, ventrals fins are never present, 

 pectoral fins are often wanting, and vertical fins are 

 sometimes quite rudimentary. They are abundant in 

 tropical seas, especially in the neighbourhood of coral 

 reefs, many inhabit the great depths of the sea, and 

 some are found in fresh water. The Indian species be- 

 long to the following genera : — Nemichthys (deep-sea), 

 Gavialiceps (deep-sea), Dysomma (deep-sea), Dysommopsis 

 (deep-sea), Synaphobranchus (deep-sea), Colocoiiger (deep- 

 sea), Congromurana (chiefly deep-sea), Uroconger (chiefly 

 deep-sea) , Promyllantor (deep-sea), Anguilla, MurcmesoXy 

 Saiiromnrmiesox (deep-sea), Saurenchelys (deep-sea), 

 Nettenchelys (deep-sea), Xenomystax (deep-sea), Miira?7i- 

 ichthys, Ophichthys, Moringua, Murccna and Gymno- 

 murcena. 



Eels of the genus Murcena are particularly savage, 

 especially when breeding ; and I myself have several 

 times been attacked by them, when collecting on coral 

 reefs. 



