﻿Cyprinus. gangetic fishes, 311 



inclining to red. The eyes are stained with red, and of a silver 

 colour. 



The head is narrower than the body, and small. There are 

 four tendrils, so very minute, as often to be scarcely perceptible. 

 The mouth is small, and descends obliquely from the extremity 

 of the nose. The upper jaw is rather the longest. The lips 

 are small, nor has the upper any lateral bones. The tongue is 

 sharp, moveable, and smooth, as is the palate. The nostrils are 

 near the eyes, which are high, and rather large. The gill-covers 

 are rounded, and expose their membranes. 



The back slopes up to the commencement of the fin with an 

 arch, and is rounded, on the edge ; behind the commencement 

 of the fin it slopes down with a slight curve. The belly forms 

 a pretty regular curve from the mouth to the end of tlie anal 

 fin. The scales are large, angular behind, dotted near the 

 edge, and mai-ked with lines diverging like the rays of a star. 



The dorsal fin slopes behind, and contains ten rays, of which 

 the two first are closely united and undivided, the second beinsr 

 twice as long as the first ; the others are branched, and the last 

 divided to the bottom. The pecto7'al fins are low, sharp above, 

 and nearly equal in length to the head, each containing four- 

 teen rays, of which the first is undivided, and the others bifid. 

 The ventral fins are smaller than the pectorals, and near each 

 other, each having nine rays, of which the first is undivided, 

 and the others branched. The edge of the anal fin is slightly 

 arched : it contains seven rays, of which the two first are undi- 

 vided and united, the second being much the longest ; the 

 others are branched, and the last divided to the root. The 

 lobes of the tail fin are bluntish : it has nineteen distinct rays, 

 besides some close compacted short ones. 



