﻿104 GANGETic FISHES. Order IV. 



strongest affinity to the Zeus insidiator^ so that all of them, no 

 doubt, belong to the same genus with that fish, although 1 

 cannot help thinking, that, to include them in the same genus 

 with the Zeus ciliaris and Zeus faher, is an unnatural arrange- 

 ment. Owing to the smallness of several species, the teeth are 

 minute, and in some are more distinguished by a feel of rough- 

 ness than by being visible to the naked eye ; but, in propor- 

 tion to their size, they are thick at the base, and end in a sharp 

 point. 



Besides the circumstances mentioned above, and in the 

 generic character, all the species, which I have described, have 

 the following in common. 



The head is devoid of scales, except a very few on its hinder 

 part, which may be observed in some species. The jaws are 

 protruded in opening the mouth, and, in most species, when 

 thus opened, form a kind of trunk. Each of the membranous 

 covers of the gills contains six rays. 



The hack slopes from the fin to the nape, where there is ge- 

 nerally a concavity, the slope of the head being less than that 

 of the back. The edges of the scales, where there are any, are 

 not indented. 



Where there are two distinguishable back fins ^ the first con- 

 tains seven prickles, and the last one. Each of the ventral fins 

 contains six rays, of which the first is a prickle. The fin be- 

 hind the vent always contains three prickles, besides soft 

 rays. 



As in the genera already described there are, as it were, cer- 

 tain intermediate species, so in this the two first, which I have 

 described, together with the Zeus insidiator, have but little 

 of the transparency, which forms part of the generic character, 

 but the resemblance to those which follow is so strong, that all 

 natives give them a common appellation. 



