FAMILY, III— SCOMBRESOCID^. 511 



B. s, D. 22-23, P. 14, V. 6, A. 19-20, C. 18. 



Length of liead 3^ to 3i, of caudal 9, height of body 12 to 14 in the total length. E'//es— diameter 2 in 

 the postorbital length of the head, and from Ij to Ij diameters apart. A wide shallow groove exists along the 

 sunamit of the head, superciliary region striated, masilla concealed by the preorbital. The height of the head 

 equals half its length behind the front edge of the eyes. Teeth — none on the vomer. Fins — dorsal commences 

 in the posterior 1/3 of the length of the body, its hind rays reach nearly or quite the base of the caudal. 

 Pectoral as long as the head behind the middle of the eyes. Ventral inserted midway between the front edge 

 of the eye and the base of the caudal fin. Anal of the same character as the dorsal. Caudal forked, 



lower lobe the longer. Free portion of tail nearly as wide as high. Scales — absent from the opercles, some 

 on groove on head. 25 rovrs between the lateral-line and the base of the dorsal fin. Lateral-line — forming 

 a narrow keel along the side of the free portion of the tail. Colours — bluish-green superiorly, becoming lighter 

 below : a silvery stripe along the side : upper edge of dorsal and pectoral fins usually black. 



Habitat. — From the Red Sea and East coast of Africa, through the seas of India to the Malay Archi- 

 pelago. 



4. Belone leiurus. 



Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Ned. Ind. i, p. 94, Snoek, Vissch. p. 13; Kner. Novara Fische, p. 321 ; Giintlier, 

 Catal. vi, p. 250. 



Belone tenmrostrts, Blyth, Proc. As. Soc. of Bengal, 1858, p. 287. 

 Mastacembehis anastomeUa, Bleeker, Nat. Tyds. Dierk. iii, p. 224, (not C. V.) 

 Mastacemhelus leiurtis, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. vi, p. 4G, Scombres, t. xi, f. 2. 



B. X, D. 19, P. 11, V. 7, A. 22-24, C. 17. 



Length of head 3 to 34-, of caudal 15, height of body 14 in the total length. Eyes — 3 diameters in the 

 postorbital length of the head, Ij apart. A wide shallow groove on the head, broadest anteriorly. Superciliary 

 and parietal regions striated. Teeth — vomerine ones absent : tongue smooth. Fins — ventral arises midway 

 between the posterior margin of the preopercle and the base of the caudal fin : pectoral nearly as long as the 

 postorbital portion of the head, and one-third longer than the body is high : dorsal commences considerably 

 behind the anal, its anterior rays the highest : upper surface of the fin concave. Anterior anal rays the longest : 

 fin inferiorly concave : its last ray, when laid flat, extends one-third of distance to the base of the caudal 

 which is rounded. Scales — small over body and cheeks : 12 rows between the lateral-line and base of the 

 dorsal fin. Free portion of tail compressed, higher than wide, without any distinct lateral keel. Colours — 

 bluish-green, becoming light on the sides and beneath, wdth a silvery lateral band: the posterior half of the 

 pectoral dark, as is also the lower half of the caudal fin. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago. 



5. Belone cancila, Plate CXVIII, fig. 5. 



Esox cancila, Ham. Buch. Fisli. Ganges, pp. 213, 380, pi. 27, f. 70. 



Belone Oraii, Sykes, Trans. Zool. Soc. 1841, p. 367, t. 63, f. 4; Bleeker, Beng. p. 72; Jerdon, Madras 

 J. L. and Sc. 1849, p. 345. 



Belone cancila, Cuv. and Val. xviii, p. 455 ; Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen. xxv, p. 145 ; Day, Fish. Malabar, 

 p. 166 ; Giinther, Catal. vi, p. 253. 



B. X, D. 15-18 (,f:f^), P. 11, V. 6, A. 16-18 (^U^, C. 15. 



Length of head 2f to 2j, of pectoi-al 12, of caudal 10, height of body S to 12 in the total length. Eyes — 

 3 to 3^ diameters from the hind edge of the opercle, and 1 apart. A deep longitudinal groove along the upper 

 surface of the head. Lower jaw the longer : the maxilla, which is partially concealed by the preorbital, reaches 

 to beneath the first-third of the eye. Supraorbital ma,rgin smooth : preopercle rather broader than high. 

 Teeth — a row of large, sharp, widely separated ones in both jaws, with an external row of numerous fine ones, 

 none on the vomer. Fins — dorsal commences opposite the anal, and is rather more than, or else twice as far 

 from the anterior extremity of the orbit as it is from the posterior extremity of the tail. Pectoral equals half 

 the distance of the head behind the front edge of the eye. Ventral is inserted rather nearer the base of the 

 caudal than the hind edge of the eye. Caudal slightly emarginate. The last dorsal and anal rays not elongated. 

 Scales — small over the body and in iiTcgular rows, some over front end of groove on head, also on sides of head 

 except opercles. About 30 rows between the commencement of the dorsal fin and the lateral-line in Punjab, 

 Assam, Burmese, and Orissa specimens, about 25 in those from lower Bengal, and 20 to 22 in those from 

 Madras and the Malabar coast. Free portion of the tail compressed, higher than thick. Colo'urs — greenish- 

 gray superiorly, becoming whitish along the abdomen : a silvery streak having a dark margin extends along the 

 body from opposite the orbit to the centre of base of caudal fin. The whole upper two-thirds of the body is 

 closely marked with fine black spots ; while there are from 4 to 6 larger blotches along the side between the 

 bases of the pectoral and anal fins, these are absent in the young. Dorsal and caudal posteriorly tipped darker : 

 anal whitish with a grayish margin. Eyes golden. 



There is a variety at Hurdwah and in the central Provinces, having a hump along the first part of its 

 back, sometimes continued as an elevated ridge as far as the origin of the dorsal fin. 



