﻿70 GANGETic FISHES. Order IV. 



The colours are, however, most widely different, the whole 

 body and fins of the O. aurantiacus being of the colour of 

 orange-peel, with some irregular stains of a redder hue, especi- 

 ally on the sides of the head, and on the pectoral and tail fins. 



V. Genus. — Labrus. 



Fishes of the fourth order, with the jaws protruded in open- 

 ing the mouth ; with the gill-covers smooth edged and unarm- 

 ed ; with one fin on the back ; with a compressed body ; and 

 with prickles in some of the fins. 



The two following species I refer to the genus Labrus, al- 

 though their almost total want of teeth would, perhaps, require 

 their forming a distinct genus. Notwithstanding the form of 

 their tail fins, they approach nearer the Lahnis malapterus of 

 Bloch {Ichth. Tome IX. p. 26, PI. CCXCVI. Fig. 2) than to 

 any other fish described by that author. They have so strong 

 an affinity to each other, that, among the fishermen, they are 

 usually called by the same name ; but, in the eye of the natu- 

 ralist, they are abundantly distinct. 



1st Species. — Labrus badis. Plate XXV. Fig. 23. 



A labrus with seventeen recurved simple rays, and eight 

 branched in the back fin ; and with three prickles and seven 

 branched rays in that behind the vent. 



This small fish, which seldom exceeds three inches in length, 

 is found in the ponds and ditches throughout the Gangetic 

 provinces ; but is no where so common, nor is its quality so 

 good as to render it an object of any importance. 



The fish is inclined to an oval form, but is rather too long 

 to be exactly such, and is much flattened on the sides. The 

 scales at the base shine like silver ; in other respects, the co- 

 lour is subject to much variation. In young fishes, especially 



