FAMILY, I— SCLERODERMI. 691 



Balistes ornatissimus, Less. Voy. Coq. Poiss. i, p. 119, t. s, f. 1. 



Rhinecaiithus oriuitissimus, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 325. 



Balistes armatus, Cuv. Reg. Anim. 



Balistes striatus, Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 32. 



Balistrapus verrucosus, Kaup, Sclerod. p. 226. (not Linn.) 



B. vi, D. 3/24-2.5, P. 14, A. 21-22, C. 12, L. 1. 38-40, L. tr. 22. 



Length of head ^, of caudal fin 7, height of body 2f in the total length. Eyes — 5 diameters from 

 the end of snout and \\ apart : no gi'oove in front of eye. Teeth — compressed, notched, those in centre of 

 lower jaw longer than those in the upper. Fins — first dorsal commences above the giU-opening, its anterior 

 spine strong and about 1/2 as long as the head. Ventral spine movable. Caudal rounded in the young, 

 undulated in the adult. Second dorsal and anal of moderate height. Scales — entirely cover the cheeks : some 

 osseous scutes behind the gill-opening. Two and a half rows of recui'ved spines on the side of the tail. 

 Colours — grayish, with a large dark blotch along the side of the body and extending to the anal fin. Four 

 dark blue interocular bands divided by three black ones : three blue lines pass from the eye to the base of the 

 pectoral, the two first being separated by a black band : an orange band goes from the angle of the mouth to the 

 same place : four or five oblique white bands pass from the middle of the body to the anal fin : caudal sjjiues 

 black and situated on a white base. 



Habitat. — Red Sea, East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago, and beyond. 



11. Balistes rectangulus, Plate CLXXVIII, fig. 2. 



Baliste echarpe, Lacep. i, pp. 333, 3-52, t, xvi, f. 1 ; Cuv. Reg. Anim. 



Balistes rectangulus, Bl. Schn. p. 46.5 ; Cuv. Regn. Anim. : Guer. Menev. Icon. Reg. An. Poiss. t. ccvi, 

 f. 2 ; Richards. Voy. Samarang, Zool. p. 24 ; Kaup, Sclerod. p. 220 ; Gunther, Fish. Zanz. p. 134. 



Balistes medinilla, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Uranie, i, p. 206, Poiss. t. xlvi, f. 2 ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, 

 p. 324, f. 103. 



Balistes erythropteron. Lesson, Voy. Coq. Zool. ii, p. 123, t. x, f. 3. 



Balistapus rectanrjulas, Kaup, Sclerod. p. 226. 



Balistes ductus, Bleeker, Amboina, p. 96, and Atl. Ich. v, p. 119, t. ccsxviii, f. 1 ; Hollard, Ann. Sc. 

 Nat. 1854, i. p. 335. 



B. vi, D. 3/23, P. 14, A. 20-22, C. 12, L. 1. 42, L. tr. 24-28. 



Length of head 3, of caudal fin 8, height of body 2|- in the total length. Eyes — 5 diameters from the 

 end of snout and 2 apart. No groove in front of the eye. Teeth — compressed and notched. Fins — first 

 dorsal commences above the gill-opening, its anterior spine strong, and 2/5 of the length of the head. Ventral 

 spine movable. Caudal slightly rounded or cut nearly square. Second dorsal and anal of moderate height. 

 (Sca?es— entirely cover the cheeks : some osseous plates behind the gill-opening : 3j rows of recurved spines 

 on either side of the tail. Colours — olive, a black band edged with blue passses from below the eye and 

 widening is continued to the vent and along the anterior two-thirds of the base of the anal fin : in front of 

 this band a yellow one, also having a blue outer edge, passes from the eye to the anterior portion of the base 

 of the pectoral fin : another narrow black band edged with blue passes from behind the gill-opening towards 

 the end of the soft dorsal : a black angular band edged with blue, the angle pointing forwards, exists on the 

 free portion of the tail, extending forwards nearly to the middle of the base of the anal fin. Three very 

 narrow black interocular bands, dividing four wider blue ones. A light blue band edged with black across the 

 snout : fins light coloured, first dorsal bluish, with a light outer edge, which has a narrow brown base and a 

 black outer margin : pectoral with a black base. 



Hahiiat. — East coast of Africa, seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and beyond. The example 

 figured (7i inches in length) was from the Malay Archipelago, and for it I am indebted to Dr. Hubrecht, of 

 Leyden. 



12. Balistes undulatus, Plate CLXXVII, fig. 4. 



Mungo Park, Trans. Linn. Soc. iii, p. 37 ; Lacep. iv, p. 682 ; Gunther, Catal. viii, p. 220 ; Klunz. Fische 

 Roth. Meer. 1871, p. 629. 



Balistes aculeatus minor, Forsk. Desc. Anim. p. xvii. No. 47. 



Balistes lineatus, Bl. Schn. p. 460, t. 87 ; Riippell, Atl. Fische, p. 29 ; Richards. Ich. China, p. 318 ; 

 Bleeker, Beng. p. 78, Balist. p. 14, and Atl. Ich. v, p. 118, t. cxxix, f. 2 ; Peters, Fisch. Mossam. p. 276 ; 

 Hell. Ann. Sc. Nat. 4th Series, i, p. 337 ; Kner, Novara Fische, p. 400. 



Balistes aculeatus (/3. viridis), Bennett, Fish. Ceylon, p. 10, pi. x. 



Balistes eapistratus, TUes, Mem. Acad. Sc. St. Petersb. vii, p. 301, t. ix. 



Balistes LamouroiixH, Quoy and Gaim. Voy. Uranie, Zool. p. 208, t. xlvii, f. 1 ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, 

 p. 324. 



Bfhinecanthus lineatus, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 325. 



Balistes sesquilineatus, Bennett, Beechey, Voy. Blossom, p. 69, pi. xxi, f . 3. 



Balistes porcatus, Gronov. ed. Gray. p. 32. 



Mol-hotah, '■ Rice pounder," Cingalese. 



4 T 2 



