﻿182 GANGETic FISHES. Order V. 



It is about three inches in length, long in proportion to its 

 breadth, smooth, flattened on the sides into the shape of a 

 wedge, and tapers rather suddenly at the second fin of the back, 

 and at the fin behind the vent. The sides are transversely 

 marked by the muscles. The colour is yellowish, with a gloss 

 of silver, which predominates on a stripe along the lateral line. 

 The four stripes on each side consist of black dots crowded to- 

 gether ; and above the shoulder-bone is a large dark spot. The 

 belly is white ; and the fins on the back, and behind the vent, 

 are dotted. The eyes are silver-coloured. 



The head is short, wider than the body, oval, blunt, and not 

 compressed. On its ci'own is a rough bare bone, which sends 

 an angle down to the beginning of the lateral line, and a nar- 

 row process to the first fin on the back. Along its middle, be- 

 tween the eyes, is a long cavity. The two tendrils, from the 

 corners of the mouth, extend beyond the end of the pectorals, 

 but not to the end of the first fin on the back ; the six otiiers 

 are shorter than the head. The mouth is small, and extends 

 straight back, ihejaws being nearly equal in length. The lips 

 are fleshy ; the teeth crowded and minute. One aperture of 

 each tiostril is close to the jaw, and the other half way to the 

 eye. The eyes are high and small, and have circular pupils. 

 The gill-covers are smooth, consist of one plate, and expose 

 their membranes, each of which contains about six rays. There 

 is no slit under the throat. 



The back is rather more prominent than the belly, has a con- 

 siderable slope from the fin to the head, and its ridge is form- 

 ed hy the process from the bony cover ol' that member, which 

 terminates in a fork, surrounding the root of the prickle. The 

 lateral line descends straight from the shoulder to the end of 

 the tail. The vent is nearly in the middle. 



The first fin of the back slopes considerably backward. Its 



