244 TRACHINID^. 



Sillago erytlirjea, Cm\ 4- Val. iii. p. 409. 



malabarica, Cant. Catul. p. 21 ; Bleek. Bali, iii. p. 157. 



D. 11 I ^. A. 5^3. L. lat. 70. L. transv. 4/11. Caec. pylor. 2*. 

 Vert. 14/20. 



The height of the body is one-sixth of the total length, the length 

 of the head one-fourth. The space between the eyes is one-half the 

 length of the snout. The ventral spine feeble. Coloration uniform 

 brownish-yellow, with a silvery lateral streak ; fins transparent, 

 reddish-violet. 



From the Eed Sea through all the Indian Seas. 



a. Adult : stuffed. Red Sea. 



b. Half-grown : not good state. Ceylon. From the Collection of 



the Zoological Society. 



c. Half-grown : skin. Malayan Peninsula. From Dr. Cantor's 



Collection. 



d. Adult. Amboyna. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 



e. Adult. Amboyna. From !Mr. Frank's Collection. 

 /, Adult. Philippines. 



g. Half-grown. Canton. Presented by the Zoological Society. 



h, i. Adult and half-grown. China. Presented by J. E. Reeves, Esq. 



k. Adult : stuffed. China. Presented by J. R. Reeves, Esq. 



I, Adult: skeleton. China. 



m. Half-grown. China. 



n. Young : bad state. China. Presented by Captain Sir E. Belcher. 



0. ? Adult : skin : bad state. Nepal. Presented by B. H. Hodgson, 



Esq. 

 p. Thirteen inches long. From theCollection of the Zoological Society. 



The peculiarities of the sheleton have been noticed by Cuvier. The 

 structure of the skull is that of a Scifenoid fish, but the number of 

 the vertebrae and the long anal fin are characters by which it ap- 

 proaches more to the fishes of the present family. The length of 

 the abdominal portion of the vertebral column is to that of the caudal 

 as 1 : 1-4. 



Bleeker, with his usual precision, has given distinct characters for 

 the following species, to which, however, I cannot refer the Chinese 

 specimens mentioned above, as they show all the characters attri- 

 buted by Bleeker to Sillago sihamci. 



2. Sillago japonica. 



Te7nm. <§• Schleg. Faun. Japan. Poiss. p. 2.3. pi. 10. f. 1 ; Bleek. Act. 

 Soc. Sc. Indo-Nedcrl. iii. Japan, p. 11, and Bali, iii. p. 163. 



D-llU- ^-iiVs- L. lat. 74. 

 Only three longitudinal series of scales between the spinous dorsal 



* Riippell found two pyloric; appendages, Cuvier four. In tlie specimens in 

 the British Museum tlie intestines do not admit of an examination. 



