FA^illLY, I— PERCID^. 81 



4. Diagramma cinctum, Plate XXI, fig. 1. 



Diarjramma cinctum, Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japonica, Poiss. p. Gl, pi. 2G, f. 1 ; Richardson, Ich. 

 China, p. 226 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 325. 



B. vii, D. Tri-\T, P- 17, V. 1/.5, A. f, C. 17, L. 1. 56, L. r. filff, L. tr. 14/20. 



Length of head 3/11, of caudal 1/6, height of body 1/3 of the total length. JE;?/e.s-diameter 41 in length 

 of head, l^ diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. A considerable rise from the snout to the base ot the 

 dorsal fin • upper iaw slightly the longer. The maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit. Vertical 

 margin of preopcrcle also shoulder-bone serrated. Teeth— vimona in the jaws. Fins— dovsal spmes strong, 

 increasing in length to the fourth and fifth, which are equal in height to nearly half that of the body, from 

 the fifth they decrease in length : soft portions of dorsal and anal rounded. Pectoral half as long as the body 

 is hio-h it does not reach so far as the ventral, which last extends three-fourths of the way to the anal : second 

 aiialtpine much stronger and longer than the third, it equals nearly 1/3 the height of the body and the length 

 of the postorl3ital portion of the head : caudal cut square. CoZoztra— slaty-grey, the upper half of the anterior 

 and the whole of the posterior portion of the body covered with large black blotches. Two rows of black 

 blotches and an outer black margin to the dorsal fin, usually an additional row on the soft portion : caudal 

 and soft portion of the anal like-n-ise with black blotches and a black margin : ventral nearly black : pectoral 

 yellow. The bands on the body alluded to in the ' Fauna Japonica' and shown in the plate do not exist m my 



Indian specimens. „ . , i ■ rii.- j t t 



HaliUit. — Sind, where it is not uncommon, attaining to two feet m length ; also m Lhina and Japan. In 

 the British Museum is a specimen marked "j/. adult: skin. Nepal? Presented by B. H. Hodgson, Esq." 

 (Catal vol. i, p. 326.) ; this marine fish, it is almost unnecessary to observe, could not have been captui-ed in 

 such a locality, but was probably obtained from the mouth of the Hooghly along with several other sea fish, 

 which are likewise recorded as from Nepal and sent by Mr. Hodgson. 



5. Diagramma griseum, Plate XXI, fig. 2. 



Cuv. and Val. v, p. 306 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 321 ; Playfair, Fishes of Zanzibar, p. 26, pi. iv, fig. 3, 

 var. h. and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 851.* 



B. vii, D. H:H, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. ^-V, C. 17, L. 1. 63, L. r. -||:f|, L. tr. 13/26, C^c. pyl. 9. 



Length of head 3/11 to 1/4, of caudal 1/6, height of body 1/3 of the total length. iJ^/es— diameter from 

 2/7 in the young to 1/4 of length of head, 1^ diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. The profile^ from the 

 snout to occiput more obtuse in adults than" in the young. The maxiUa reaches to below the posterior nostril. 

 Vertical limb of preopercle rather strongly and evenly serrated, angle rounded and also sen-ated. Shoulder- 

 bone serrated. Teeii/t— viUiform in the jaws. F/ms— dorsal spines of moderate strength, the third or fourth 

 the highest and equal to the length of the postorbital portion of the head, from thence they gradually decrease 

 to the°last ; height of soft dorsal scarcely exceeds that of one-thii-d of the body. Pectoral as long as head without 

 the snout and of about equal length to the ventral : second anal spine strongest and longest, equalling the 

 distance between the middle of the orbit and the end of the head in the young or merely the postorbital portion 

 in the adult : caudal slightly emarginate. Free portion of tail as deep at its commencement as it is long. 

 Scales— in oblique rows above the lateral-line, some are present on the preorbital. C'oZo(«-s— uniform grey or 

 olive-grey with the fins nearly or quite black. In the younrj the general colour is olive, with some sinuous 

 and narrow light blue lines over the snout and cheeks, but which usually fade shortly after death. There are 

 also several sinuous blue Unes taking an oblique direction from the head upwards, and which extend to nearly 

 the length of the body. Also a black mark over the posterior end of the free portion of the taU. 



Variety. — " Colour gi-ey above, white below, with four whitish curved cross bands ; the first crosses the 

 forehead and terminates at the angles of the operculum and preoperculum : the second proceeds from the 

 second dorsal spine, in the direction of the root of the ventrals : the third runs parallel to the last from the 

 seventh and eighth dorsal spines ; and the last, also parallel, runs from the first anal ray to the posterior of 

 anal. Fins blackish, immaculate. Length 4^ to 17 inches." (" Fishes of Zanzibar," p. 26.) 



Diarjramma sordidum, Klunz. (Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 67) = ? Seioina schotaf, Forsk. (p. 51) has 

 the sixth dorsal spine the highest and slightly longer than in D. griseum, D. f| , A. |. The above is from one 

 of the type specimens which closely resembles D. griseum. 



Habitat.— Eatst coast of Africa, Beloochistan and seas of India, attainmg at least 18 inches in length. 

 It is very common in Siud and Bombay. Specimen figured 6 inches long. 



6. Diagramma pictum, Plate XXI, fig. 3. 



Percapicfa, Thunb. Nya Handl. xiii, 1792, p. 142, pi. v, fig. 1. 

 Seicena abu mgaterin, Forsk. p. 51. 



* Col Plavfair observes that " several specimens of this fish were caught in a mountain-torrent in Seychelles, which loses 

 itself in a sand-bank without reaching the sea. The only direct communication between the two is after unusually heavy floods, so 

 that It would appear that this .•^alt water species not only visits, but habitually lives in fresh water." This conclusion requires modification, 

 the species perhaps, as is common with many other marine forms in the East, entered the river witli the ram flonds, and owing to a 

 sudden sutjsidence. return to the ocean became cut off, and those which did not die were waiting tor the next r^ans to allow them to 

 escape to the sea ties page 68 ante). 



