﻿110 GANGETic FISHES. Order IV. 



especially the gill-covers, are opaque and silvery. Over the 

 back and its fins, together with those of the tail and vent, are 

 scattered black dots, which, on each shoulder, are collected in- 

 to an oblong mark, and into another on the summit of the back 

 fin. 



The head is oval, and rather small. The mouth, when shut, 

 descends very obliquely, and is large. When open, the jaws 

 protrude only a little ; the under one is by much the longer. 

 The bone under the nose is not indented on the edge ; but the 

 cheek-bone has some teeth at its hinder angle. The lips are 

 somewhat fleshy, with scarcely any bones in the upper. In 

 both jaws large conical teeth are scattered at a distance from 

 each other. Each nostril has one aperture in the middle be-^ 

 tween the eye and jaw. The eyes are large, high, and far for- 

 ward. Each gill-cover consists of four plates, of which the fore- 

 most has an indented edge. The ynembrane covering the gills 

 is exposed to view. 



The ridge of the back is sharp. The tail, at the fins of the 

 back and vent, is indented on the edges. There is no lateral 

 line. The vent is near the middle. There are two back fins 

 united, but clearly distinguishable. The prickles of the first, 

 in number seven, project a little beyond the intermediate mem- 

 branes. The first is very short ; the second is the longest ; and 

 the othei's diminish suddenly in length to the last. The se- 

 cond fin contains one prickle, and its soft rays are branched, 

 gradually shortening from the prickle, which is the longest, and 

 three times the length of the last ray of the first fin. The pec- 

 toral fins are low, short, and sharp above : each contains eleven 

 rays, of which the first and second are undivided, and the for- 

 mer is very short. The ventral fins are short, and have even 

 edges. The prickles of the fin behind the vent become gradu- 

 ally longer and longer to the third, from whence the divided 



