182 STRIPE-TAILED PIMELODUS. 



stronger, and in resemblance more like those of the 

 P. pirinampu of Spix. Mr. Schomburgk states : 

 — " This fish was taken at Fort St. Joaquim on 

 the Rio Branco, -where it is not uncommon ; they 

 are also plentiful in the Amazon, but scarce in the 

 Rio Negro, and seem partial to muddy waters. 

 The specimen was three feet in length, six inches 

 deep at the dorsal fin, where the body is nearly tri- 

 anofular, but from thence it becomes rounded to the 

 tail. The head is depressed, upper jaw a little 

 longer than the lower, teeth very fine and thickly 

 set in both ; nostrils double, — first pair near the 

 eyes, second near the snout. Eyes dull, of a bluish 

 cast, oval, and rather near the snout ; surface and 

 edges of the opercles smooth ; the cirrhi smooth 

 and winged. Lateral line visible only from under- 

 neath the dorsal fin, running on the body to the 

 tail ; first ray of the dorsal fin long and elastic, 

 spinous ray of the pectoral fin serrrated, the adipose 

 fin large (not lengthened) and triangular. The ge- 

 neral colour is a leaden grey, with black spots 

 thickly set on the upper half of the body ; the cheeks 

 and sides are bluish, varying on the belly to cream 

 colour, which is also the colour of the pectoral and 

 ventral fins ; the tail is large, with a black stripe on 

 the lower lobe. The tongue is round and fleshy ; 

 intestines form three flexures, but are straight to- 

 wards the vent \ milt long and double ; air-bag 

 double, pointed, and bilobed. This is an excellent 

 fish, being fat, well-tasted, and with little bone ; it 

 lives an hour after being taken from the water, and 



