PKEFACE. 



" 6. The Collection of the lloyal Naval Hospital of Haslar. 

 7. The Collection of Fishes of the Red Sea, described bj, and 

 procured from Dr. Riippell. 



" 8. The Collection of FLshes of Japan, described by Prof. Schlegel, 

 and received from the Leyden Museum. 



" 9. The Collection of Fishes of Amboyna, described by Dr. Bleeker, 

 and presented by him to a charitable institution in Holland. 



" 10. Fishes from the Cape, presented by Sir Andi-ew Smith, M.D, 

 "11. The CoUection of Freshwater Fishes of India, collected by 

 Dr. Griffith, described by Dr. MaccleUand, and presented by the 

 Hon. East India Company (mostly Cyprinoids). 



" 12. The Fishes of the Seas of Madcii-a and the Canary Islands, 

 described and presented by the Eev. E. T. Lowe. 



" 13. A Collection of the skulls and skeletons of German Fishes, 

 made by Dr. A. Giinther. 



" By the kindness of the late Dr. Horsfield, the types of the species 

 of IncUan Fishes described by Dr. Cantor have been examined at the 

 Museum of the Hon. East India Company. 



" "WTierever I have not had an opportunity of examining the species, 

 and have been obliged to borrow the characters for a diagnosis from 

 another description, I have added the authority. There remain, 

 however, species which are either insufficiently described, or founded 

 on characters so slight that it is doubtful whether they will stand 

 as species,— or which are established from figures not executed by, 

 or under the inspection of, natm-alists : these are mentioned in notes, 

 without a description, and with the sjTionymy only. Whoever has 

 gone through the labom- of examining such descriptions, of making the 

 best of them, and of determining fishes by them, mtU know the amount 

 of time fruitlessly spent, and will understand how to appreciate the 

 more recent accounts of Bleeker, which combine with the chstinctness 

 of a diagnosis the accuracy of a description. 



" To conclude, I add some explanatory remarks on my way of taking 

 the measurements of specimens, of coimting the scales, &c. :— 

 " 1. The JieicfJit of the body is always its greatest depth. 

 " 2. The length of the head is the distance between the end of the 

 snout and the posterior extremity of the honrj operculum. The h'mjth 

 of the smut is the distance between the end of the snout and the 

 vortical from the anterior margin of the eye. 



