FAMILY, I— SILUEID^. 485 



Lengtli of head to end of gill-cover 6, of caudal 9, height of body 8|- in the total length. Eijes — in the 

 commencement of the front third of the distance between the end of the occipital process and the snout : the 

 width of the interorbital space equal to 1/2 the length of the head. The gi-eatest width of the head equals its 

 length : its upper surface finely shagreened and covered with skin, on it are two depressions, the anterior 

 which is oblong extends to opposite the front margin of the eyes, the posterior which is oval is midway between 

 the posterior end of the anterior depression and that of the occipital process, which last is scarcely produced 

 and 3-J- times as wide at its base as it is long. Barbels — the nasal reach the hind edge of the eye, the 

 maxillary to the base of the pectoral fin, those on the lower jaw are shorter. Teeth — those on the palate with 

 "&BSS globular heads and in an uninterrupted curved band, which is rather wider than those on the 

 jf^ga^ premaxillaries. Fins — pectoral spine rather strong, its length equals 1/2 the distance between the 

 ^^^^ base of the occipital process and the end of the snout, it is rather strongly serrated externally with a 

 few recurved spines near its extremity, more feebly internally, whilst the length of the fin only equals 1/2 the 

 distance between its base and that of the ventral, it does not quite reach to below the origin of the dorsal. 

 Caudal distinct from the other vertical fins. 



I only procured one specimen (7 inches long) from the Wynaad in Malabar. Jerdon seems to have 

 obtained it from tanks and ditches in ]\Ialabar. The length of the entire head is 1/i of the total excluding the 

 caudal fin. It appears to agree with Bleeker's Malay form. 



Habitat . — Malabar and Pondicherry to the Malay Archipelago. 



4. Clarias magur, Plate CXII, figs. 5 and 5a. 



Silurus hatrachus, Bl. t. 370, f. 1 ; Bl. Schn. p. 386. 



Silurus anguillaris, Russell, Fish. Vizag. ii, p. 63 and Marpoo, pi. 108. 



Macropteronotus batrachus, Lacep. v, pp. 84, 85. 



Macropteronotus magur, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 146, 374, pi. 26, f. 45. 



Clarias marpus et batrachus, Cuv. and Val. xv, pp. 378. 385 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 58. 



Clarias magur, Cuv. and Val. xv, p. 381 ; Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1849, p. 342 ; Bleeker, Beng. pp. 58, 

 124 ; Blyth, Proc. A. S. of B. 1858, p. 286 ; Giinther, Catal. v, p. 17; Day, Fish. Mai. p. 196. 



Clarias ptmctatus, Cuv. and Val. xv, p. 384 ; Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. xxi, Sil. Batav. p. 53 ; Cantor, 

 Mai. Fish. p. 263. 



Clarias batrachus, Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1849, p. 342 ; Bleeker, Prod. Silur. p. 343, and Atl. Ich. 

 Silur. p. 103, t. 98, f. 2 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 299. 



Kuq-ga, Punj. ; Mah-gur, Beng.; Magurah, Ooriah ; Nga-khoo, Burmese and Mngh. " Mangri, Psitni^, 

 and Monghir, H. Buch." 



B. ix, D. 62-76, P. ^.Vt. V. 6, A. 45-58, C. 15-17. 



Length of head to end of giU covers 5|, of caudal 8 J, height of body 6j to 7^ in the total length. 

 ]<!ijes — diameter 8 in the length of the head, 2 to 2^ diameters from the end of snout, the width of the interorbital 

 space equals 1/2 the length of the head. The greatest width of the head equals its length. Upper jaw the 

 lono-er, the width of the gape of the mouth equals 4/9 of the length of the head. Head shagreened superiorly 

 and covered with fine granules. Two depressions on the head, the anterior oblong and situated so that its first 

 fourth is between the eyes : the postei-ior oval and placed midway between the posterior extremity of the 

 anterior fossa and the end of the occipital process. Occipital process rounded behind, the width of its base 

 equalling rather above twice in its length. Barbels — the nasal reach the base of the occipital process : the 

 maxillary the base or middle of the pectoral fin, the mandibular ones shorter. Teeth — on the vomer villiform, 

 not so fine as those in the jaws and becoming a little blunted with age, they form an iininteiTupted band which 

 in its centre is rather narrower or as wide as the premaxillary band. Fins — jjectoral fin reaches to below the 

 commencement of the dorsal, its spine finely sen'ated* but covered with skin. Hamilton Buchanan observed 

 that its edges were unindented : and in Cuv. and Val. the same fact is recorded of some Bengal specimens. 

 Caudal free. Colours — dingy green or brownish superiorly, becoming lighter beneath : the vertical fins usually 

 with reddish margins. 



Habitat. — Fresh and brackish waters of the plains of India, Burma, Ceylon, and the ilalay Archipelago. 

 It lives long after its removal from its native element, being amphibious. It attains at least a foot and a half 

 in length. As food it is deemed highly nourishing. 



5. Clarias Assamensis. 



Mah-gur, Assamese. 



B. ix, D. 64-68, P. ^.Vt. ^- 6, A. 46-50, C. 14. 



Length of head to end of opercle 5f to 6]-, of caudal 8J, height of body 65 to 7 in the total length. 

 Fijes — in the commencement of the anterior third of the total length of the head, width of the interorbital space 

 equal to 2/5 of the total length of the head. The greatest width of the head equals its length between the 



* The outer serration varies considerably, as a rule in Calcutta specimens tliey are blunt and nodulated, whilst the inner 

 serrature is likewise very feeble. In Burma a minority of the specimens have the outer edge of the pectoral spiue serrated, whilst the 

 vomerine teeth are very slightly obtuse. 



