102 THE LATES OF THE NILE. 



effaced in the old and large species, and in those 

 of three feet long, are scarcely perceptible. The 

 spines of the dorsal fin are remarkably strong, 

 particularly the third ; those of the dorsal fin are 

 very rigid, and with the tail and other fins are 

 of considerable power. The scaling is rather 

 large, and rough on the edges. The lateral line 

 seems nearly parallel with the back, at about one 

 third of the depth, and on each scale there is a 

 narrow and slender tube. The whole fish is of a 

 silvery tint, tinged with olive brown on the upper 

 parts and fins. 



Another fish which Cuvier places in this 

 sub-genus is, the " Cock up" of the English at 

 Calcutta, the Caius vacti of Hamilton Buchanan, 

 and the Lates nobilis of our author. It is one of 

 the lightest and most esteemed foods brought to 

 table in Calcutta. The Vacti abounds in all the 

 mouths of the Ganges, which it ascends as far as 

 the tide, and follows this into the marshes, ditches, 

 and ponds ; but those found in salt water are of 

 by far the best quality, as are those about two 

 feet in length. It is often caught five feet long ; 

 but when it approaches this size the taste becomes 

 strong, and when small, it is rather insipid. The 

 upper parts are of a green colour, with a gloss of 

 gold and purple ; the lower parts are silvery.* 



* Ham. Buchanan, Gangetic Fishes, p. 87. 



