16a. GTMXOSTOMUS. 75 



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



b-c Half-grown. Cachar. Presented by Lieut.-Col. Playfuir. 



d-e. Adult ; stuffed, Calcutta. 



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

 gintweit. 



p. Young, lliver HoogUy. From Dr. Blceker's Collection. Type 

 of his Mrigala hengalensis. 



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



i-Jc. Half-grown. Cossye River. Presented by Lieut. 11. C. Bcavan. 



I. Adult ; skin. Chenab. From GriiRth's Collection. 



OT. Adult : stuffed. Seharunporc. 



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



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

 gintweit. 



r-s. Young. River Cavery. Presented by Capt. Mitchell. 



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



«. Young, Ceylon. From the Collection of ilossrs. von Schla- 

 gintweit, 



v-w. Adult : stufied. From the Collection of the East-India Com- 

 pany. 



Varietas ;— 

 A blacldsh band runs along the lateral line, 



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

 gintweit. 



16^, GYMNOSTOMUS*, 



Gymnostomus, sp., Heckel, in Russegget'' s Reisen, i. p. 1030. 

 Acra, Bleeker, 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 Bleeker 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 TyJognathus, Crossochilus, 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 

 having a short dorsal without osseous ray above the ventrals, 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 

 ajnAAcra; the former might be used for a division of Capo'efa {Chondrostoma , 

 syriacum, Cuv. & Y'a\.= Gymnostomus syriacus, Ileck.); the second could be 

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

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

 name is temporarily retained for it. 



