in the Collection of the British Museum. 375 
one-third. Upper surface of the head rather flat and entirely 
scaleless; snout of moderate length, as long as the diameter of 
the eye, which is two-sevenths of the length of the head, and 
somewhat more than the width of the interorbital space. Cleft 
of the mouth rather narrow; the maxillary scarcely reaching to 
below the anterior margin of the orbit. Preorbital much nar- 
rower posteriorly than anteriorly, with the lower edge indistinctly 
serrated. Scales on the cheek small, in four or five series. 
Preeoperculum with the angle obtusely rounded, the serratures 
being equal along the entire edge; operculum with two points, 
the upper being short and obtuse, the lower spinous and rather 
prominent ; sub- and inter-operculum entire; humeral process 
finely serrated. 
The dorsal fin commences above the axil of the pectoral, and 
is composed of thirteen spines, the fourth, fifth, and sixth of 
which are the longest—more than half as long as the head; all 
the spines are of moderate strength. There is a notch between 
the spimous and soft portions, the twelfth spine being rather 
shorter than the thirteenth ; the soft dorsal is rather lower than 
the spinous. The distance between the dorsal and caudal fins is a 
little less than the height of the tail below the end of the dorsal. 
The second spine of the anal fin is longer and much stronger 
than the third, and equal in length to the seventh of the dorsal 
fin: none of the dorsal spines equals it in strength. Caudal fin 
scarcely emarginate, one-fifth of the total length. Pectoral 
rather shorter than ventral, which terminates before reaching 
the vent. Scales ctenoid; the lateral line follows the curvature 
of the back. 
Teeth in the jaws villiform; none on the palate. Pseudo- 
branchize well developed. 
Back greenish, shining silvery, passing into pure white below: 
five black cross bands descend from the back towards the belly ; 
they are only half as wide as the interspaces between them ; the 
first descends from before the dorsal fin towards the axil, the 
second from the sixth and seventh dorsal spines, the third from 
the last dorsal spines, and the fourth from the hinder half of the 
soft dorsal; the fifth crosses the tail. Vertical fins marbled with 
black. Infraorbital bones with a silvery band. 
Two specimens, 5 inches long, were sent by Mr. Krefft, Curator 
of the Sidney Museum. They were obtained from the Fitzroy 
River, near Rockhampton, in Queensland. 
Catopra malabarica, 
p.14. A. zg. L, lat. 26. LL. transv. 3/9. 
The height of the body is contained twice and two-fifths in 
