in the Collection of the British Museum. 375 



one-thirA Upper surface of the head rather flat aud entirely 

 scaleless ; snout of moderate length, as long as the diameter of 

 the eye, which is two-sevenths of the length of the head, and 

 somewhat more than the width of the interorbital space. Cleft 

 of the mouth rather narrow ; the maxillary scarcely reaching to 

 below the anterior margin of the orbit. Praeorbital much nar- 

 rower posteriorly than anteriorly, with the lower edge indistinctly 

 serrated. Scales on the cheek small, in four or five series. 

 Praeoperculum with the angle obtusely rounded, the serratures 

 being equal along the entire edge ; operculum with two points, 

 the upper being short and obtuse, the lower spinous and rather 

 prominent ; sub- and inter-operculum entire ; humeral process 

 finely serrated. 



The dorsal fin commences above the axil of the pectoral, and 

 is composed of thirteen spines, the fourth, fifth, and sixth of 

 which are the longest — more than half as long as the head ; all 

 the spines are of moderate strength. There is a notch between 

 the spinous and soft portions, the twelfth spine being rather 

 shorter than the thirteenth ; the soft dorsal is rather lower than 

 the spinous. The distance between the dorsal and caudal fins is a 

 little less than the height of the tail below the end of the dorsal. 

 The second 8})ine of the anal fin is longer and much stronger 

 than the third, and equal in length to the seventh of the dorsal 

 fin : none of the dorsal spines equals it in strength. Caudal fin 

 scarcely emarginate, one-fifth of the total length. Pectoral 

 rather shorter than ventral, which terminates before reaching 

 the vent. Scales ctenoid; the lateral line follows the curvature 

 of the back. 



Teeth in the jaws villiform j none on the palate. Pseudo- 

 branch ise well developed. 



Back greenish, shining silvery, passing into pure white below: 

 five black cross bands descend from the back towards the belly ; 

 they are only half as wide as the interspaces between them ; the 

 first descends from before the dorsal fin towards the axil, the 

 second from the sixth and seventh dorsal spines, the third from 

 the last dorsal spines, and the fourth from the hinder half of the 

 soft dorsal; the fifth crosses the tail. Vertical fins marbled with 

 black. Infraorbital bones with a silvery band. 



Two specimens, 5 inches long, were sent by Mr.Kreffl, Curator 

 of the Sidney Museum. They were obtained from the Fitzroy 

 River, near Kockhampton, in Queensland. 



Catopra malaharica, 

 D. }f. A. |. L. lat. 26. L. transv. 3/9. 

 The height of the body is contained twice and two-fifths in 



