157 



November 27, 1838. 



Lieut.-Colonel W. H. Sykes in the Chair. 



Dr. Horsfield laid before the Meeting a series of Mammalia and 

 Birds coUected in India by John M'^^Clellaud, Esq., Assistant Sur- 

 geon E. I. C. S., and proceeded to point out the characters of some 

 which Avere undescribed. 



A paper on the Fishes of the Deccan, illustrated "vvith numerous 

 coloured drawings, Tvas read by Colonel Sykes. 



" In submitting to the Society an account of the fishes of Dukhun," 

 observes Colonel Sykes, " it will scarcely excite surprise, that out 

 of 46 species described noless than 42 are new to science, sincethey 

 are from a hitherto untrodden field, and from peculiar localities, on 

 the great plateau of the Dukhun (Deccan), none of them coming from 

 aless elevation than 1500 feet above the sea; many from near 2000 

 feet, and others from yet higher situations. The chief features in 

 the collection are the paucity of orders to which the collection be- 

 longs, and the remarkable j^revalence of the members of the families 

 of SiluridiE and Cyprinidce. There is but one apodal Malacopterygian, 

 but 4 Acanthopterygn, and the vhole of the ręst of the fish belong 

 to the order Abdominal Malacopterygians. Of the families there 

 are only eight: Percida, Scombrida:, ' Pharyngiens Labyriiithiformes,' 

 Gobiada, Siluridce, CypritūdcB, Esocidte, and Murcenidce, comprising 

 15 genera and 9 subgenera, including one subgenus, M'hich I have 

 been compelled to add to the Cyprinidce. An attempt has been made 

 to methodize and distinguish the multitudinous members of tlie fa- 

 milies of Siluridce and Cyprinidce. The fact is, the eontinued inos- 

 culation in the character of the teeth, of the citTi, of the spines (ser- 

 rated or not) of the fins, the armature of the head, and the position 

 of the fins in the Siluridce ; and the number of cirri, and form and 

 position of the fins in the Cyprinidce, together witli the character of 

 the mouth, produce such approximations in species to each other, and 

 in indi^aduals of one genus to another, that not only is there infinite 

 difficulty in determining the genera of the fishes of these families, but 

 their identity as species is occasionally not less difncult. Some of 

 my Siluridce do not exactly correspond Avith the generic characters 

 of the genera of this family as now constituted, and I might have 

 added to the number of genera; but to this I have an objection, 

 unless as an evidently necessary measure. In the Cyprinidce, ho-\v- 

 ever, I vas obliged to set aside my repugnance, for three species were 

 not referrible to any one even, of the numerous subgenera which 

 Buchanan Hamilton \vished to establish. It only remains to statė 

 that the whole of my fishes were drawn from absolute measurement, 

 and have a scale of size attached to each figure ; they were caught 

 in the various rivers on \vhose banks I encamped, as individuals 

 were required ; so that my draftsman, \vho worked constantly under 

 my o\vn eye, never had to finish his dra\vings firom shriveled and 



