3. HARPOUON. 401 



developed. Dorsal fin much higher than long, the third (longest) ray 

 being not much shorter than the head. The pectoral fiu extends to 

 the twelfth scale of the lateriJ line, and nearly to the vertical from 

 the origin of the dorsal. A conspicuous ridge runs along the caudal 

 portion of the lateral line. Blackish oUve above, silvery beneath ; 

 the anterior rays of the dorsal and the upper ones of the caudal with 

 brown dots. 



Louisiade Archipelago. 



a. Seven and a half inches long. Australia? From Mr. Macgilli- 



vray's Collection. 

 b-c. Ten and a half inches long : stuffed. Louisiade Archipelago. 



From Mr. Macgillivray's Collection. 



3. HARPODON. 



Harpodon, Lesueur, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. v. p. 50. 



Body elongate, rather compressed, with diaphanous, very thin and 

 deciduous scales ; only those on the hind part of the body and of the 

 lateral line are adherent to the skin. Head thick, with very short 

 snout ; its bones are very soft, and partly modified into wide muci- 

 ferous channels ; the lateral canal of the body is very wide also, and 

 a 2>air of pores corresponds to each scale of the lateral line, one being 

 above, the other below the scale. Cleft of the mouth very wide ; 

 intermaxillary very long, styliform, tapering ; maxillary absent *. 

 Teeth cardiform, recurved, iu bands, unequal in size, some being 

 enlarged ; the largest are in the lower jaw, and provided with a single 

 barb at the posterior margin of the point. There are teeth in the 

 jaws, on the palatine bones, on the small tongue, and on the hyoid ; 

 the anterior teeth of the palatine band are large, and can be laid 

 downwards ; there are two or three small teeth separate from, and 

 within, each band of palatine teeth. Eye small. Pectoral and 

 ventral fins long ; the latter are nine-rayed, inserted below the an- 

 terior dorsal rays, at some distance behind the base of the pectoral. 

 Dorsal fin in the middle of the length of the body ; adipose fin small ; 

 anal of moderate length ; caudal three-lobed, the lateral line being 

 continued along the central lobe. Gill-opening very wide, covered 

 by the membranaceous confluent opercles ; branchiostegals very nu- 

 merous ; pseudobranchite small ; air-bladder none. Pyloric appen- 

 dages numerous. Yertebrse soft, slightly contracted in the middle, 

 perforated by an uninteiTuptcd channel. 



Indian and Chinese Seas. 



1. Harpodon nehereus. 



Bummaloh or Bombay Duck. 



liu>iseU, ii. p. 55. tab. 171. 



Osmeriis uenereus, Ham. Btwh. Fish. Gang. p. 209. 



* Valenciennes mentions a rudimentarv maxillary, but I am unable to find it. 

 VOL. v. 2 I) 



