188 



BARKER'S SILURU& 



PLATE XXIV. 



Silurus ParJccrii, Dr. Trail, Trans. Wern. Soc. vol. vi. p. 66c. 



THIS species will range among the Bagn or Fime- 

 lodi ; at the same time, we have kept the generic 

 name which Dr. Trail applied. His description is 

 as follows : " It would appear to be a common 

 species in the muddy waters of the rivers of Guiana 

 where they mingle with the sea ; and it is found at 

 a considerable distance from the coast. When taken, 

 it is used as an article of food. When received, 

 the specimen measured, in length, three feet four 

 inches ; at the circumference of the first dorsal fin, 

 one foot eleven inches ; and it weighed twenty-seven 

 pounds. 



" The true Dutch name is undoubtedly Geelbmck, 

 or yellow-belly. The upper parts are of a fine olive- 

 green ; the sides and belly of a rich yellow. The 

 body is thickest at the first dorsal fin ; and its sec- 

 tion there would be nearly circular. It tapers quick- 

 ly, yet equally, towards the tail, where it is slender ; 

 the head is broad, flat, and compressed. The vertex 

 is defended by a rough bony plate of considerable 



