FAMILY, I— SILURID^. 495 



externally rough in its lower half, denticulated internally. CoZowrs— glossy greenish -brown on the back, with 

 two very light green bands passing one from the base of either dorsal fin to the middle of the depth of the body. 

 A dark band on the dorsal fin and spots on either lobe of the caudal. 



Habitat. — Rivers of Northern Bengal, not uncommon in the Jumna at Delhi, and also found at Poona in 

 the Deccan. 



Genus, 26 — Bagabius, Bleeker. 



BrancMostegals twelve. Gill-memhranes not confluent with the skin of the isthmus, having a free posterior 

 edge and notched half way to the chin. Head depressed, its upper surface osseous. Mouth anterior : upper jau) the 

 longer. Eyes with free orbital margins. Nostrils approximating, the posterior provided with a barbel. Barbels 

 eight, one nasal, one maxillary, and two mandibidar pairs. Teeth in jaws pointed, and of unequal sizes : palate 

 edentulous. Thorax destitute of any adhesive apparatus. First dorsal fin in advance of the ventrals, having one 

 spine and six rays : adipose fin present. Ventral with six rays. Anal of moderate length. Caudal deeply forked. 

 Air-vessel small, consisting of two rounded portions enclosed in hone. An axillary pore. 



The air- or swim-bladder of this fish is present, but small. Taylor (Gleanings in Science, June 1830) 

 remarks that the Bagarius Yarrellii " has also two air-bladders, which closely resemble the former (Saccobranchus 

 fossilis, &e.) in the argentine tendinous texture of the external coat, and in having no communication with each 

 other, or with the alimentary canal. They are situated one on each side of the body, in a deep groove or furrow 

 of the consolidated ti-ansverse processes of the cervical vertebra?, and are extremely small iu proportion to the 

 bulk of the fish ; each of them in an individual weighing 10 lbs., not exceeding a large garden pea in size : they 

 are placed in the middle of the grooves at about an equal distance from the common integument (immediately 

 behind the pectoral fin) and the vertebral column : the space between each of them, and the former, being filled 

 up with adipose substance, whilst that next to the spine is occupied by the Malleus." 



Geographical distribution.— Tl'hroug\iovA the course of the larger rivers of the Punjab, India, and Burma, 

 and extending to the Malay Archipelago. 



SYNOPSIS OP INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. 



1. Bagarius Yarrellii, D. i, A. 13-15. Gray, banded and clouded with black. India to the Malay 

 Archipelago. 



1. Bagarius Yarrellii, Plate CXV, fig. 3. 



Pimelodus bagarius, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 186, 378, pi. 7, f. 62 ; Cnv. and Val. xv, p. 146, pi. 433 ; 

 Bleeker, Silur. Bat. p. 10. 



Bagrus Yarrellii, Sykes, Trans. Zool. Soc. ii, p. 370, t. 65, f. 1 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 56. 



Pimelodus platespogon, Val. in Jacq. Voy. Ind. Ori. pi. 18, f. 3 ; Bleeker, Beng. p. 58. 



Pachypterus luridus, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 306. 



Pimelodus Carnatieus, Jerdon, M. J. L. and S. 1849, p. 341 (young) . 



Bagarius Buchanani, Bleeker, Beng. en Hind. pp. 58, 121, Prod. Silur. p. 212, and Atl. Ich. SUur. p. 61, 



t. 81. 



Pimelodus Yarrellii, Jerdon, M. J. L. and S. 1849, p. 341. 



Bagarius Yarrellii, Giinther, Catal. v, p. 183. 



Boonch or Goonch, Hind. (N. W. P) : Goreah, Assam : Bahti jellah, Tel. : Sah-lun, Ooriah. 



B. xii, D i/O, P. 1/12, V. 6, A. 13-15 (to?t^), C. 17. 



Length of head 3f , of caudal 4|, height of body 5 in the total length excluding the prolonged caudal 

 ray. Byes —small, situated in the middle of the length of the head. The greatest width of the head equals 

 from 2/3 of its length in the young to its entire length in the adult, its upper surface is rugose in irregular 

 bands and lines. Upper jaw the longer, the extent of the gape of the mouth equal to 4/7 of the length of the 

 head. Barbels — the maxillaiy with broad bases and rather longer than the head : the nasal pair short. Teeth — 

 .sharp, and of unequal sizes in the jaws, an outer widely separated row of larger ones in the mandibles. Fins — 

 dorsal spine smooth, with an elongated soft termination, the osseous portion as long as the head excluding the 

 snout : length of the base of the adipose dorsal as long as that of the rayed fin. Pectoral spine stronger, and as 

 long as that of the dorsal, serrated internally, and having a soft prolongation. Caudal deeply forked, its upper 

 lobe prolonged. SJdn — somewhat scabrous over the summit of the head, and slightly so on the body. Colours — 

 body gTay or yellowish, with large, irregular, brown or black markings and cross bands. A black base to all the 

 fins, and generally also a dark band. 



This fish takes a live-bait, but is difficult to kill, it is sluggish, goes to the bottom, and it generally 

 escapes by destroying the tackle. Mr. Van Cortland, at the end of 1875, angling at the Okla weir, a few miles 

 below Dellii, killed one which was 5 feet long and weighed 136 lbs. 



Habitat. — Large rivers of India and Java, descendiug to the estuaries. It attains 6 feet or more m 

 length, and is often termed a " fresh-water shark," partly due to its voracity, and partly to its underhung mouth 

 and general ugliness. 



