538 Mr. G. A. Boulenger on Fishes 



species is described, was established a few years ago for a 

 single species from iNIoznnibiqae, the affinities of which were 

 regarded as uncertain. One of the new fishes is regarded 

 as the type of a new genus {Nematogohius). 



Dr. Ansorge, who has on previous occasions added so 

 much to our knowledge of African Ichthyology, deserves the 

 highest praise for this new achievement. He has kindly 

 furnished me with the following particulars concerning the 

 manner in which the collection was made : — 



"The collection was made from three rivers (the Quanza, 

 the Lucalla, and the Bengo), two lakes (Lake Kilunda and 

 Lake Rumango), and swamps produced by overflow of these 

 rivers during the rainy season. Some of these swamps dry 

 up entirely during the dry season, so that during one part 

 of the year natives capture fish with their creels and casting- 

 nets, and during another part of the year gather a harvest 

 of maize from the identical spot. 



" An English minnow casting-net, two German fish-cord 

 bag-nets, three French wire-creels, and over fifteen pounds of 

 Portuguese dynamite cartridges were used. The usefulness 

 of this variety of means of capture is evident from the fact 

 that it was only through the casting-net that the new Syn- 

 gnathiis was got from the Quanza and the new Gobiid from 

 the Bengo. Again, but for the German bag-net, left in the 

 river night after night, the single specimen of the rare 

 Marcusenius pauciradiatus (hitherto unrepresented in the 

 British ^Museum collection) would not have been secured. 

 Finally, only by the dynamite cai fridges were captured the 

 new Xenopomatichthys, the new Physailia, the new Burhus 

 rhynchotus and Barbus lucius, and the new P etrocephalus 

 cungciniis. 



" The Lucalla River, though only a tributary of the Quanza, 

 is a very long, winding, and broad river ; its course is broken 

 by three separate falls and by stretches of rapids. Just 

 above the rapids, close to the railway station also called 

 ' Lucalla,' the river yielded an extraordinary number of 

 new species both of Varicorhinus and of Barbus, also the 

 new Xenopomatichthys and the new Labeo rocadasi. Whereas 

 a deep quiet pool, about an hour by canoe above Kalenge, 

 where the River Lucalla is broad and shallow, gave the new 

 Odaxothrissa and five specimens of Marcusenius ansorgii. 



" The Bengo River is quite distinct from the Quanza 

 and is much smaller; but the new Nematogobius ansorgii as 

 well as the single specimen of Marcusenius pauciradiatus 

 were only captured here. The lakes Kilunda and Rumango 

 are connected with the Bengo and abound with the two 



