lOrt. GYMNOSTOMrS. 75 



a. Young. Siam. From M. Mouhot's Collection. 



b-c. Half-grown. Cachar. Presented by Lieut.-Col. Plaj'fair. 



d-e. Adult ; stuifed. Calcutta. 



/. Young. Calcutta. From the Collection of Messrs. von Schla- 

 gintweit. 



ff. Young. Hiver Hooghly. From Dr. Blceker's Collection. Type 

 of his Mrigala bengalensis. 



h. Young. Ganges. From the Collection of the Zoological Society. 



i-h. Half-grown. Cossyc River. Presented by Lieut, il. C. Beavan. 



/. Adult : skin. Chenab. From Griffith's Collection. 



m. Adult : stuffed. Sehaninpore. 



n-o. Adult : skins. Loodiauah. From Griffith's Collection. 



p-q. Young. Indus. From the Collection of Messrs. von Schla- 

 gintweit. 



r-s. Young, lliver Cavery. Presented by Capt. Mitchell. 



t. Young. Nilgherries. Purchased of Mr. Day. 



u. Young. Cejdon. From the Collection of Messrs. vou Schla- 

 gintweit. 



v-iu. Adult: stuffed. From the Collection of the East-India Com- 

 pany. 



Varietas : — 

 A blackish band runs along the lateral line. 

 a. Young. Calcutta. From the Collection of Messrs. von Schla- 

 gintweit. 



16 a. GYMNOSTOMUS*. 



Gymnostomus, sp., Heckel, iji Russegger^s Reisen, i. p. 1030. 

 Acra, Bleeher, Prodr. Cypr. p. 230. 



A number of species from the Indian continent, incompletely 

 described by Buchanan Hamilton, M'Clelland, Valenciennes, and 

 Sykes, have been united by Heckel and Blocker under the denomi- 

 nations referred to. Neither of the two latter ichthyologists knew 

 one of those species from autopsy ; nor can the creation of those 

 generic names be regarded as a progress towards a better knowledge 

 of them. It is very doubtful whether one of these fishes is really 

 the type of a separate genus, or whether all of them will not finally 

 prove to be TyJonnathns, CrossochUus, or some other genus. 



The uncertainty attached to every attempt at referring these 

 fishes to better-known genera induces me to leave them united 

 under the denomination first proposed. They appear to agree in 

 ha\'ing a short dorsal without osseous ray above the vcntrals, a still 

 shorter anal, the mouth inferior, transverse, lower jaw said to be 

 sharpened, without labial fold, no barbels, lateral line running along 



* There is some difficulty in choosing between the names of Gymnostomus 

 KtAAcra; the former might be used for a division of Cojwifa {Chondrostama 

 syriacum, Cuv. & \a\.= (lyinnosfomus .v/riacus, Ileek.) ; the second could be 

 used for Cyprinus acra, 11. B., only, which is probably a Cirrhina. However, 

 in an artificial assemblage of sprcios like this, it is of no consequence which 

 name is temporarily rctanied for it. 



