248 INDIAN CYPRINID&. 
being placed on the upper surface of the head as in P/latycara, are situated 
on its edges; the mouth is remarkably small, placed far behind the long 
and thin muzzle, without any appearance of cirri as in the Loaches, to which 
Buchanan supposed them to bear a resemblance. This genus which appears 
to be the suctorial type, I propose to name Pszlorhynchus.* The peculiarities 
just noticed, as well as the position of the eyes which are far back in the 
head as we see in the Moles, Ant-eaters, and other analogous types among 
quadrupeds, together with their well formed and fully developed fins, 
indicative of powers of rapid motion, such as distinguishes the Humming- 
birds, Cinnyris, Waders, and other suctorial types in the same class. Unfortu- 
nately we are not acquainted with the habits of the two interesting species 
under consideration, farther than that they were obtained by Buchanan in 
the northern parts of Bengal, to which they have been probably swept from 
the mountains. The information to be derived from their intestines is 
however of the less importance as affecting their type, as they would be 
equally suctorial whether they derived their food from the juices of plants 
or from-shell-fish or ova. 
47. It remains to notice the analogical relations of the Loaches, an 
exceedingly numerous group in India, many species of which are common 
in every pond throughout Bengal and Assam. In these fishes we shall find 
the characters of rasorial birds as well as quadrupeds so strongly depicted 
as to leave no doubt of their forming an equivalent type among Cyprinide. 
When noticing the difference between the true Loaches (Cob:tis) and 
Schisture, 1 omitted to mention that in the dissections of five species of the 
former—all I have had an opportunity of examining, I could find no natatory 
* From psd/o thin or attenuated, and synchus a snout or beak. 
