1^ PEEFACE. 



of the "Asiatic Researches" (pp. 217-465), with 25 plates, having 103 full figures of fish besides detaHs, 

 39 as stated by McClelland are copies from Ham.-Buch. drawings. The number of species described 

 is 138. He observes, "I am indebted to the gi-acious consideration of the Right Honorable George 

 Lord Auckland, g.c.b., &c., not only for the opportunity of examining my collection of fishes, which had 

 otherwise been denied on my return from Assam, but also for the inspection of the splendid collection 

 of drawings of the late Dr. Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, which," he continued, " contained 1 14 coloured 

 figures of fish : amongst mammals, 5 of Simia, 5 of FeUnte, 6 Cerrldce ; of birds about 00 of 

 Falconidce, 150 Insessores and 74 Grallae, the whole amounting to about 900 drawings." Subsequently 

 (1841) Dr. McClelland commenced the "Calcutta Journal of Natural History," which extended to 

 six volumes, and in the pages of which are several papers upon the Fishes of India, more especially on 

 the collections made by Dr. Griffith. Many of the specimens were transmitted to the Museum at the 

 India House,* from whence they were transferred to the British Museum in 1859. 



W. H. Sykes entered the Bombay Army in 1804, when in his fifteenth year. In 1824 he was 

 engaged by Government to assist iu a statistical inquiry, and was thus employed until 1831, when he 

 quitted India as a Lieutenant-Colonel. He made a report that same year to the Court of Directoi-s 

 of the East India Company upon the " Fishes of the Dukhun," accompanied by some good drawings 

 and also specimens. These were left unnoticed until 1838, when they were, at the author's request, 

 transferred to the " Zoological Society of London," who published them in their Transactions, vol. ii, 

 1841, pp. 340-378. They contain descriptions of 46 species and give 28 figures. Some of the fishes, 

 without any labels, were transferred to the British Museum in 1860 from the India Ofiice. Other 

 specimens, perhaps skins, were wanting ; they may have been presented elsewhere or retained by the 

 author. 



Dr. Wyllie entered the Madras Medical Service on June 11th, 1812. He contributed a paper on 

 the accessory breathing apparatus of Silurus singio to the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society of 

 London " in 1840, p. 34. He sent to Europe some stuffed fish, now in the British Museum. 



Dr. Pieter v. Sleeker was born at Zaandam, in Holland, July 10th, 1819. He was apprenticed 

 to an apothecary from 1834 to 1837, in which latter year he commenced his studies at Haarlem, 

 where he graduated in 1840 and received his diploma. At the end of 1S40 and the commencement 

 of 1841 he spent six months at the Paris Medical School, and when iu that city appears to have 

 ucqun-ed a taste for Ichthyological pursuits. May 24th, 1841, he obtained entrance by public 

 competition into the Army Medical Department, embarking for Batavia iu November, and 

 arriving there March 13th, 1842. He returned to Europe in 1860, and was placed on the pension 

 establishment, April 1st, 1864. He collected in the East and brought in safety to Europe large 

 zoological collections, that of fishes alone exceeding 30,000 examples. His papers upon the Fishes 

 of the East are too numerous for me to give the titles. In 1853 he published a paper on the 

 " Ichthyologische fauna van Bengalen," pp. 162, with lists of all the fishes previously described 

 from India, and detailed descriptions of 162 species. In 1862 he gave descriptions of 11 species 

 of carps from Ceylon, which had been sent to the Leyden Museum: his paper has 4 plates 

 illustrated with 11 coloured figures. His magnificent "Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales 

 Neerlandaises " must ever remain as a lasting testimony to his unwearied industry, scientific 

 acquirements, and accurate determination of species. Unfortunately his sudden death, on 

 January 24th, 1878, occurred when he had only completed eight out of the twelve volumes; 

 and though much of the remainder is left in a forward state, it is to be feared that circumstances 

 may prevent its publication being completed. 



* List in " Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist." ii, p. 573. 



