﻿166 GANGETic FISHES. Order V. 



crowded. In the jaws the anterior ones are the largest. On 

 the fore part of the palate are two large oblong bones, covered 

 with teeth. Both apertures of each nostril are circular : the one 

 close to the jaw is large, and surrounded by a margin ; the 

 other, half way between the eye and jaw, is smaller. The eyes 

 are above the middle of the cheek, and forward ; both orbit and 

 pupil are oblong, with their longest axis horizontal. Each gill- 

 cover consists of one small smooth plate, leaving exposed a 

 thick membrane, which contains many rays very indistinctly 

 seen. There is no slit under the throat. 



The ridge of the back is blunt, and is covered by two rough 

 bones ; the foremost is large and oblong, with three blunt pro- 

 cesses toward the head, the largest in the middle ; the other 

 bone, adjacent to the fin, is heart-shaped. On each shoulder, 

 also, is a rough bone of an oval shape, from which the lateral 

 line descends straight to the end of the tail, which is dilated 

 and rounded at the end, where it is slightly compressed. The 

 shoulder-blades are naked, and very long, but blunt. The vent 

 is behind the middle. 



The anterior fin of the back is higher than the body, and 

 slopes very suddenly backward. The foremost of its rays is a 

 very short rough triangular bone ; the second is an enormous 

 smooth-edged prickle, tapering to a sharp point, and without 

 any tip of the substance like whalebone ; the other six rays are 

 branched ; and the last is divided to the root. The hinder fin 

 is almost as long as that behind the vent, to which it is oppo- 

 site, rises very gradually, and toward the tail ends abruptly. 

 The pectoral fins are low, about as long as the head, and sharp 

 above : each has twelve rays, of which the first is a very strong 

 fiat prickle, indented on both edges, and terminating in a sub- 

 stance like whalebone ; the teeth on its fore edge are turned to- 

 ward the point, those behind toward the root. The ventral fins 



