1 50 CALLICHTHYS. 



but its length equals that of twenty times the length 

 of the body. ^' In a Plypostoma mentioned by Dr. 

 Hancock, the stomach ended in an intestine, which, 

 in a specimen about eight inches long, measured 

 twenty-four feet in length ; it was most accurately 

 coiled up like a rope, in a great number of convolu- 

 tions, with the liver disposed in the centre of the 

 coil. Nothing but mud was found within, t This 

 structure, as connected with the food of the whole 

 family, may be interesting to investigate further. 

 The branchial circulation and arrangement would 

 also be an interesting part of the anatomy ; and as 

 they all appear to possess to a considerable degree 

 the power of subsisting out of their element, and 

 also to live freely in pools, or even a vessel, experi- 

 ments while resident at a station might not be very 

 difficult to be carried through. 



The characters given in the conspectus venerium 

 of Spix are — 



" Hypostoma. — Corpus subangiilosum, scutatum. Abdo- 

 men alepidotum. Dentes sub-radiati, apice hamati. 

 Velum labiale cii'culare, papillosum cin-liatumve, aut 

 papillosum et eirrhatum. Pinnae dorsales duae, postica 

 radia unica simplici crasso." 



CALLICHTHYS. 



Drawings of two species of Callichthys occur: 

 one has been marked C. longlJiUs^ Hancock, but 

 it scarcely agrees exactly with the description of 

 that fish, or with the species bearing the same name 



* Valenc. xv. 495. f Zool. Journ. iv. 7. 247. 



