14. SAEGUs. 449 



covering the caudal fin have been reckoned. Very different is the 

 description of Valenciennes, which, if correct, clearly shows that he 

 had a fish scarcely identical specifically with Charax cervinus, Lowe. 

 On the other hand, the figure of Sargiis fasciatus, given by him, 

 agrees well with Mr. Lowe's fish, but not with that described in the 

 ' Hist. Nat. des Poiss.' under that name, and said to have a body 

 miu:h, more elongate tJian in Sargus Uneatus. There is, apparently, 

 confusion in the descriptions of M. Valenciennes, who, moreover, in 

 the text refers the figure with the name of S. fasciatus to S. vetula. 

 Therefore I think it of no great importance if he attribute to S. 

 fasciatus |^ incisors, whilst I find ^. But, if the descriptions are 

 really correct, we should have the following specific forms : — 



1. Charax cervinus, Lowe. Height of the body 2^ in the total 



length. Incisors y. L. lat. 58-60 (66). — Madeira, Lanzarote. 



2. Sargus cervinus, Val. in Webb & Berth. Height of the body 



one-third of the total length. Incisors ^. L. lat. 50. — 

 Canary Islands*. 



3. Sargus fasciatus, Cuv. & Val. Body oblong. Incisors |^. — 



Canary Islands, Val. in Webb <Sf Berth. 



4. Sargus fasciatus, Gthr. Height of the body one-third of the 



total length. Incisors^. L. lat. 60.— iTaS. ? Haslar 



Collection. 



16. Sargus aries. 



Cuv. 8f Val. VI. p. 68. 



Incisors very narrow and elongate. The second anal spine strong. 

 Body with seven narrow vertical bands; ventral fins black. (Val.) 

 Atlantic coasts of South America. 



17. Sargus ambassis. (Plate XXVIII. fig. A.) 



D.l|. A.:^. L. lat. 50. L. transv. ^. 



A recumbent spine before the dorsal fin. Incisors narrow, im 

 planted in a rather oblique direction ; two series of molars in both 

 the jaws. Nape of the neck very convex; the upper profile of the 

 head descending in a straight Hne. The diameter of the eye is 4| 

 in the length of the head, half the length of the snout, and less 

 than the distance between the eyes. The pectoral fins extend to 

 the vertical from the second soft ray of the anal fin; the second 

 anal spine is rather shorter and not stronger than the thii'd, and 3f 



* Mr. Lowe observes : " Sargus cervinus, Val., is, I tliink, merely a larger ex- 

 ample of my Charax cervinus, the less depth being due to the h-regular contraction 

 in a dried specimen, such as almost, if not quite, aU the fishes sent by Webb to 

 Valenciennes were." 



2g 



