( 17 ) 



somctiinca going long dislanccs vip tlicii' course : Uius, I have 

 liikcu Lates calcarifer at Maudalay in Upper Burma, about 

 ()50 miles from tlic sea, evidently foUoAving the shoals of 

 shad, Cliipca jnilasah, for jiredaecous purposes. 



XXIX. Fishes of tlie order Puysostomi, or those in 

 , ,„, which the air-vessel communicates 



riivsotomalnus Older of lislios, •■! Ji i i c 



or tii.W imsscssinp a coiimcMns With tlic jiharjux by mcaus ot a 

 (inct boiween nir-vcssci ami pneuiiiaiic duct, contaiu tlic largcst 



pro])()rtion of the Indian fresh-water 

 fishes. One of these families fSiliiridcc) are destitute of 

 scales, whilst they are present in the Cyprinida;, which have 

 no teeth in the jaws or palate, and also in the herrings 

 ( Clitpeidie), the majority of which last have a trenchant or 

 cutting abdomen (as the hilsa, Cliipea palasah), or generally 

 a i'cw minute teeth in the jaws or palate. The Notopterid(V, 

 which also belong to this order, furnish some species which 

 are esteemed by tlie natives. 



XXX. The siluroid family, silurid(P, are commonly 

 sihuKi» or seaiciess fisbc, kuowu as cat-fishcs, bccausc tlicy 



ofioii tcrinod cat-fisi.cs, as they generally posscss a uumber of long 



generally l,ave long feelers. barbcls, aiTaUgcd arOUlul the UlOutll. 



These fishes mostly prefer niuddy to clear Avater, as such 

 conceals their, presence. The more developed and numerous 

 these barbels, the better adapted these fish seem to be for an 

 inland and muddy fresh-water residence; whilst on the con- 

 trary, those which are strictly marine do not appear to bo so 

 well furnished Avitli these appendages. Siluroid fishes are also 

 generally armed Avith strong spines in the fin of the back 

 and pectoral fins, and which, as a rule, are serrated ; with these 

 severe wounds are often inilicted, which renders the handling 

 of them dangerous. Tropical countries, which posscss large 

 and muddy rivers and tanks in their plains, such as Bengal 

 and Burma, arc more adapted for siluroids than such localities 

 as INIadras, Avhere the rivers are smaller, and the Avaters 

 clearer. Irrespective of being scaleless or unclothed (if we 

 admit scales to be the clothing of fish), they would hardly 

 a])pcar to be suited for cold climates, and Ave find that they 

 arc much more numerous in tropical than in sub-tropical 

 or temperate parts of the globe. The siluroid fishes which 

 are captured in the fresh-Avaters mostly belong to the follow- 

 ing 25 genera, excluding Chacci, sonu^ of Avhich arc marine, 

 others not so: — 1, Akysis ; 2, Ercthistes ; 3, I\](icronns ; 

 4, Rita; 5, Arms; G, Favgas'uis ; 7, Fseiidculropins ; 

 8, Callichroiis ; 9, JFalhiffo ; 10, Olj/ra ; 11, S/liinis ; 12, 

 C/'irias ; 13, Saccobranchns ; 11, Sihuidia ; 15, A Ilia ; lO, 



