IQO Rcxords of ihc Indian Museum. [Vol. XXII, 



left those particular portions of the fish lighter in colour. The colour 

 of the fresh specimens is thus described in the field-book: — " The 

 caudal fin and the apex of the dorsal duskj' ; other fins pinkish. 

 The general surface sihery, with a black triangular spot at the 

 base of each scale ; the cheeks yellow ; the operculum golden or 

 deep orange with black borders." 



The paired f.ns are broad and well-expanded and most of the 

 outer rays in them have become stiff. The chest is flattened and 

 the scales in this region are poorly developed. There aie charac- 

 teristic muscular pads in front of the bases of the pectorals. The 

 open pores on the snout are absent. 



liariliiis bcndclisis var. ckedra is found along the base of the 

 Himalayas. 



Barilius barila (Ham. Buch.). 



1 S.Sy. Barili't!^ Ixirild Day, op. cit.. p. :;4S. 



The character of the barbels on which Day has based his sy- 

 nopsis of the species of this genus is faulty ; not only because the 

 barbels are very small, but also because they are liable to be over- 

 looked owing to their being hidden underneath folds of skin. In 

 the Manipur examples both pairs of barbels are present, the ros- 

 tral pair being slightly longer than the maxillary. There are 22 

 rows of scales in front of the dorsal fin The chief character on 

 which I have based the identification of this species is the inequal- 

 ity of the two lobes of the caudal fin ; the lower lobe being slightly 

 the longer. This character is more marked in young indivi- 

 duals. 



Barilius barila exhibits considerable variations with age and 

 locality. In young individuals the pectorals do not reach the 

 ventrals, nor the latter, the anal, and the origin of the dorsal is 

 equidistant from the middle of the eye and the base of the caudal 

 fin. With the growth of the fish, especially in hill-streams, the 

 paired fins become much expanded and the area in front of the 

 pectorals is specialized as in B. bendelisis var. chedra. In a specimen 

 about 13 cm. long, the pectorals extend beyond the ventrals and 

 the ventrals reach the anal, and the dorsal is equidistant from the 

 hinder edge of the eye and the base of the caudal fin. 



The vertical blue bands on the body are better marked in 

 young specimens than in the adults. I have the following note in 

 the field-book about the colouration of a living specimen from the 

 Sikmai stream ; — " Upper surface dark olivaceous, sides silvery 

 with blue bands extending to the lateral line; fins pinkish; iris 

 deep orange ; opercular piece dark while the rest of the gill-cover 

 orange." 



A specimen from the Khurda stream is of special interest, 

 because it lacks the ventral fins. The absence of the ventrals has 

 been considered to be a character of generic importance, but in 

 the case of this specimen I consider it an abnormality, as it is 

 impossible to separate this individual on any other character from 

 B. barila, of which I have examined a large series. 



