VISCERAL ANATOMY OF THE CITARACIXID.E. 



51 



been, in the first instance, mainly directed towards the comparative examination of the 

 viscera. No detailed description of these organs throiighout any considerable section of 

 the family at pi'esent, I believe, exists ; and it is perhaps hardly to be exjiected that suck 

 plastic and adaptive structures should materially contribute to the elucidation of the 

 afSnities of the group. Nevertheless, it has seemed to me that such an investigation 

 might not be altogether valueless ; and amongst the results which I now make known, 

 pending the conclusion of further w'ork, are some hitherto unrecorded relations whicli 

 seem to be of some interest and importance. 



The following is a list of the species of Characinidte examined by me. Except in a 

 few instances, in which the skeleton only was available, they were represented by spirit- 

 specimens, for the most part fairly well preserved. "With certain specimens it has only 

 been permitted me to make an abdominal incision, but with many a more complete 

 dissection has been possible. 



For convenience the list has been arranged on the basis of Sagemehl's classification, 

 but it should be pointed out, in nsing the terms " carnivora " and " herbivora," that some 

 forms under the former head {Alestes for example) are clearly omnivorous in habit. 



X 



y 



Erythbixoids : uo adijjose fiu. 

 (Tropical America.) 



1. Eri/ilirinus un'titeniaius . 



2. Macrodon trahira. 



3. Lc'biasina bhnaculata. 



4. Pyrrhulina unifasciata. 



