﻿80 GANGETic FISHES. Order IV. 



in all the estuaries of the Ganges, but does not ascend higher 

 than the tide. 



The colour of the body is entirely similar to that of the Coitor. 

 The back and tail fins are dotted, and the first of the former is 

 edsed with black. When the fish dies all the extremities soon 

 becom eyellow. 



The head is rather deep, but not wide. The mouth extends 

 to very near the end of the snout, but still is situated low, and 

 is arched backward almost in a horizontal direction. The jaws 

 are nearly equal in length. On the inside of the under one is 

 a ridge. In each jaw is a single row of large, crooked, conical, 

 sharp teeth, of unequal sizes. In the fore part of the palate 

 are four naked bones, and at the throat it is beset with teeth. 

 The eyes are lengthened out in a horizontal direction, with the 

 greatest length of the pupils vertical ; and are rather small. 

 Both apertures of each nostril are circular, and are near the eye. 

 The gill-covers consist of three plates, and end behind in one 

 point. The foremost plate, at its angle, is indented vvith re- 

 mote incisures. The inferior one is very small. The bones 

 supporting the gills along their inner sides have a double row 

 of denticulated projections. 



The lateral lines are covered with many small scales, and 

 may be traced to the end of the tail fin. The scales on the 

 head are long, and of various sizes. 



The first prickle in the foremost back Jin is rather longer 

 than the second, and is separated from it by a membrane. 

 The prickle of the second fin is short : the first soft ray is undi- 

 vided, and the others are branched. T\\e pectoral fins are sharp 

 above, and each contains seventeen rays. The ventral fins are 

 small, and near each other. They want the bristle-like division 

 of the second ray by which the Coitor is distinguished. The 

 fin behind the vent is slightly arched at the end, and its prickles 



