1. BELONE. 239 



median groove ; superciliary region striated ; base of the intermax- 

 illaries broad, slightly compressed ; maxillary entirely hidden by the 

 praeorbital. Teeth of moderate strength ; vomerine teeth none. 

 The diameter of the eye is a little less than the width of the inter- 

 orbital space, and one-half of the levcfth of the postorhital portion of 

 the head. Body slightly compressed, its depth being less than the 

 length of the pectoral fin, which nearly equals the distance of the 

 opercular margin from the orbit. Tongue covered with tubercular 

 aspei'ities. Ventral fin midway between the front margin of the eye 

 and the root of the caudal. Tlie middle and hinder dorsal and anal 

 rays arc very slender and somewhat prolonged, the last extending 

 nearly or quite to the root of the caudal. Caudal fin deeply forked. 

 Scales very thin and minute, deciduous. 

 East Indian Archipelago. 



a. Adult. Purchased of Mr. Frank. 



h. Adult. From Dr. Bleeker's Collection (as B. croccdilus). 



11. Belone schismatorhynchus. 



Belone gracilis, Schlcg. Fmm. Japon. Poiss. p. 246, pi. 110. f. 1 ; Bleck. 



Verh. Bat. Gen. xxvi. Nieuioe Nalcz. Japan, p. IIG (not Lowe). 

 Belone schismatorhynchus, Bleeker, Nat. Tijdschr. Ned. hid. i. p. 95, 



or Ve7-h. Genootsch. xxiv. Snoek. Vlssch. p. 15. 

 Mastacembelus gracilis, BIcek. Ned. Tydschr. Dierk. iii. 

 D. 24. A. 26. 

 The free portion of the tail is strongly compressed, much deeper 

 than broad, with the lateral line slightly raised into an inconspicuous 

 keel. The length of the head is contained about thrice and a fourth 

 in the total (without caudal) ; its upper surface with a wide and 

 shallow median groove, the anterior half of which is scaly ; super- 

 ciliary region striated ; base of the intermaxillarics compressed, 

 arched; maxillary nearly entirely hidden by the praDorbital. Teeth 

 feeble ; vomerine teeth none. The diameter of the eye is equal to 

 the width of the interorbital space, and contained twice and a fourth 

 in the length of the postorhital portion of the head. Body strongly 

 compressed, its depth being less than the length of the pectoral fin, 

 which exceeds the distance of the opercular margin from the orbit. 

 Ventral fin nearer to the front margin of the orbit than to the root 

 of the caudal. The middle and hinder dorsal rays subcqual in length, 

 not veiy short, the last terminating at a short distance from the 

 root of the caudal. Caudal fin forked. Scales minute. 



lied Sea, Indian Ocean. 

 a. Adult, 18 inches long. Red Sea. Presented by Dr. E. Eiijjpell. 



12. Belcne choram. 



Rcnard, ii. pi. 14. fig. 05. 



Esox choram, Forsk. Dcscr. Anim. p. 07. no. 98. c. 



Belona crocodila, Lcsiieur, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phdad. ii. 1821, p. 129. 



Belone choram, Riipp. N. M'irb. Fische, p. 72. 



crocodilus, Cvv. ^- Val. jtviii. p. 440. 



D. 22-23. A. 20-21. 

 The free portion of the tail is scarcely compressed, rather deeper 



