158 



DORAS. 



one-half oval, the other long and pointed. The nos- 

 trils are single, round, placed near the snout ; eyes 

 near the middle of the head, -with a brown iris (in 

 drawing coloured bright chestnut red) ; the tongue 

 is fleshy ; teeth thickly set in both jaws, fine ; intes- 

 tines long, forming several flexures ; the gut large 

 near the anus; roe long, large, and double; eggs 

 large. Gill-opening semilunar, the lid smooth- 

 edged, with a striated surface. This fish lives long 

 when taken out of the water, and is taken by bait 

 and with the hand, about the roots of trees, where 

 it forms for itself a retreat." 



Another small species, with a drawing, occurs in 

 the Collection, which we refer to the " Callickthys 

 cirris sex" &c, of Gronovius, tab. iii. figs. 4 and 5. 

 Valenciennes quotes this as a syiionim under his 

 D. cataphractus^ which he considers nearly allied if 

 not identical with his species previously described, 

 J), armadillo. The specimen is of a brownish colour, 

 with the centre of the plates paler, but from the 

 drawing may be described as, 



Doras, — above deep olive-green, on the belly yel- 

 lowish; lateral line of plates white; tail forked, 

 with a double dark band, — the first basal, second 

 nearly central; dorsal and pectoral spines deeply 

 striated; lateral plates 29, each plate with smaller 

 spines above and below the lateral line; cirrhi, 

 2 upper, 4 lower jaw. Uaricari of AVahrau In- 

 dians ; Daken-o, L, Geral. Schomh. Drawings, 

 ^o. 40. 



Formula of fins, (1.) Schomburgk; (2.) Grono- 



