4U PHYSOSTOMI. 



8 inches, but said to attain to double tbat size. Wounds from tbeir spines are deemed venomous by 



the natives. 



2. Macrones aor. 



Pimelodm aor, Ham. Buch. pp. 205, 379, pi. 20, f. 6R. 



? Biujrus aorinus, "Val. in Jacq. Voy. Ind. Or. pi. xvii, f. 1. 



Baqrus aor, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 405 ; Jacq. 1. c. pi. xvi, f. 1 ; Bleeker, Hind. p. 11.5 ; Blytb, P. A. S. 

 of Beng. 1858, p. 283. 



Baijrns aorides, Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1849, p. 337. 



Macrones aor, Giintber, Catal. v, p. 78. 



Mtihul-jettah, Tel. ; Cuwloo Jcelletee, Tam. ; Nga-jowig, Burm. ; Seemjaln and Saruj-rjo-ali, Punj. ; 

 Singharee, Sind. ; AlU or Addi, Ooriab. 



B. xii, D. II 0, P. 1/9-10, V. 6, A. 12-13 (V), C. 17. 



Length of head 4^ to 5, of caudal 4, height of body G in the total length. i?yes— transversely oval, 

 diameter 5 to 8 in the length of the head, 2i to 3 diameters from the end of snout, and If to 2 apart. Snout 

 broad, depressed, the width of the gape being equal from 2/5 to 3/7 of the length of the head, whilst the cleft 

 does not extend half-way to the orbit. The upper jaw the longer. Width of the head is 3/5 of its length, its 

 upper surface rugose in tuberculated ridges. Occipital process does not extend half-way to the basal bone of 

 the dorsal, whilst an intermediate iaterneural shield exists, and which is usually wider than the occipital 

 process : the width of this bone is suliject to great variations, thus in some old specimens it is only twice 

 as long as broad, whilst in others and in some immature it is four times as long as wide. The longitudinal 

 f urro-s\'' on the head extends to the base of the occipital process. Barbels — the maxillary extend to, or even 

 beyond, the base of the caudal fin : the nasal half-way to the orbit : the outer mandibular ones to the 

 base of the pectoral, and the inner two-thirds of that distance. Teeth— in. an uninterrupted semilunar band across 

 the palate. Fins— dnrs&l spine rather weak, nearly or quite as long as the head (in the young occasionally 

 shorter) finely serrated posteriorly. Pectoral as long as the head excluding the snout, and reaches 4/7 of the 

 distance to the ventral, its spine is stronger than that of the dorsal but shorter, being equal to from 

 1/2 to 3/5 of the length of the head, it is rugose or finely serrated externally and denticulated internally. The 

 adipose dorsal commences alxive the last thh-d or end of the ventral, and its base equals about that 

 of the rayed fin or even a little more, whilst the extent of the interspace between the two fins equals half the 

 length of that of the rayed dorsal fin. Ventral arises below the last dorsal rays and does not reach the anal. 

 Caudal with deeply pointed lobes, the three outer rays in the upper lobe being produced. Free portion of the 

 tail rather more than twice as long as high at its base. Air-vessel — large and pyriform. Colours — bluish-leaden 

 superiorly, becoming white beneath : fins yellowish, stained with dark externally in both the dorsal and caudal. 

 A black spot about equal to the diameter of the eye on the soft dorsal on its posterior and inferior portion. 



Blyth, Proc. A. S. of Beng. 1858, p. 284, observed of closely allied species that " there is a fourth in the 

 B. aorinus, Jacq. The latter is not represented to have the conspicuous black spot on the adipose dorsal seen 

 in the others." 



Habitat. — Throughout Sind and India to Burma, a specimen in Calcutta is 3 feet long. 



3. Macrones seenghala, Plate XCIX, fig. 1. 



Flatystomus seenghala, Sykes, Trans. Zool. Soc. ii, p. 371, pi. 65, f. 2. 

 Bagrus Lamarrii, Cuv. and Val. xiv, p. 407, pi. 415. 

 Bagrus aorellus, Blyth, Proc. A. S. of Bengal, 1858, p. 283. 

 Jiagrus seenghala, Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1849, p. 337. 

 Macrones Lamarrii, Giinther, Catal. v, p. 79. 

 Teiig ga-ra, Punj. 



B. xii, D. i I 0, P. 1/9, V. 6, A. 11-12 (^%), C. 19-21. 



Length of head 4j, of caudal 4.V, height of body 7.L to 8 in the total length. Eijcs — diameter 7 to 8 in 

 the length of head, 2 to 2i diameters from the end of snout, and 1^ to 2 apart. The greatest width of the 

 head ecjuals 1/2 to 4/9 of its length : snout spatulate : upper jaw rather the longer : the width of the gape equals 

 one-third of the length of the head, its cleft shallow. Upper surface of the head granulated in ridges, its 

 median longitudinal groove reaches the base of the occipital jii-ocess, wiiich is twice as long as wide at its base, 

 between its posterior extremity and the bnsal bone of the dorsal fin is a separate interneural shield from four 

 times as long as broad in the young, to halt that width in the adult. Barbels— Vae maxillary ones extend to 

 the middle or just beyond the hind margin of the dorsal fin, the nasal to opposite the middle of the orbit, the 

 external mandibular ones to the base of the pectoral, whilst the internal ones are one-third shorter. Teeth — on 

 the palate in an uninterrupted crescentie band. Fins — dorsal one-third to one-half higher than the body, its spine 

 rather weak, anteriorly rugose, indistinctly serrated posteriorly, and as long as the head excluding the snout : 

 length of the base of the adipose dorsal equals or exceeds that of the rayed fin, whilst the intennediate distance 

 is of the same length. Pectoral extends rather above half way to the ventral, its spine is stronger than that of 

 the dorsal and half as long as the head, rougbened externally, denticulated internally. Ventral arises behind the 

 vertical from tlie last dorsal ray and reaches 2/3 of the distance to the anal. Caudal deeply forked, upper lobe 

 the longer. Air-vessel — large, pear-shaped and not enclosed in bone. Colours — brownish along the bricl:, silvery 

 on the sides and beneath, a round black sjjot at the posterior end of the base of the adipose dorsal fin. 



