I f>8 TELEOSTEI. PIIYSOSTOMI. 



an uninterrupted semilunar band across the palate. Fins dorsal 

 two thirds as high as the body, its spine bait' as long as the head, 

 with two or three teeth anteriorly in the young, while it is finely 

 serrated posteriorly ; length of the base of the adipose dorsal 

 variable, in some specimens it is equal to that of the inter>pace 

 between the two fins, and a little more than the length of the rayed 

 fin. Pectoral spine strong, as long as the head excluding the snout, 

 denticulated internally with about 10 coarse teeth. Ventral reach- 

 ing from half to two thirds of the distance to the base of the anal. 

 Upper caudal lobe the longer. Coloui silvery or golden ; old 

 specimens at Madras have a light bluish band along the middle of 

 the side, and a narrow light one above and below it, a dark shoulder- 

 spot, and sometimes another near the base of the caudal fin. More 

 to the eastward, as in Orissa and Bengal, the colours are more vivid, 

 usually of a golden hue, with a black shoulder-spot, a narrow black 

 band along either side of the lateral line, a lighter parallel one 

 below, and two wider ones above. Sometimes these fish appear 

 to be dark, with five longitudinal silvery bands. Tips of fins 

 usually dark. 



This fish is termed " the fiddler " in Mysore ; I touched one 

 which was on the wet ground, at which it appeared to become very 

 irate, erecting its dorsal fin and making a noise resembling the 

 buzzing of a bee, evidently a sign of auger. When I put some 

 small carp into an aquarium containing one of these fishes it 

 rushed at a small example, seized it by the middle of its back and 

 shook it like a dog killing a rat ; at this time the barbels of the 

 Macrones were stiffened out laterally like a cat's whiskers. 



Hub. Throughout Sind, the continent of India, Assam, Burma, 

 Siam, also Ceylon ; attaining 7 or 8 inches in length. 



167. (13.) Macrones leucophasis. 



Bagrus leucophasis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxix, 1860, p. 148. 

 Macrones leucophasis, Day, Fish. India, p. 449, pi. c, fig. 2 (see 

 synon.). 



Nf/a-}Kt-lek and Nffa-nottk-thatca, Burmese (signifies " topsy-turvy," as 

 the tish is believed to swim in that position). Also Nga puUcy or pa-Uy 

 at Moulinein. 



B. xi. D. 1/7 | 0. P. 1/8-10. V. 6. A. 11-12 (3/8-9). C. 17. 



Length of head 4^ to 5, of caudal fin 3 to 4|, height of body 41 in 



the tola! length. Eyes diameter 4 to 5 in the length of the head, 



II to 2 diameters from the end of snout, and 1 to 1^ apart. The 

 greatest width of the head equal to its length behind the nostrils. 

 Snout rounded, the upper jaw slightly the longer. Median longi- 

 tudinal groove on the head does not quite reach the base of the 

 occipital process, which last is twice as long as wide at its 'base, 

 while between it and the basal bone of the dorsal fin is a pyriform 

 bone about twice as long as wide. Upper surface of the head 

 rather rugose. Barbels the nasal reach to the front edge or the 

 middle of the eye, the maxillary to the anal fin, the external man- 





