1868.] DR. J. E. GRAY ON SACCOMYIN^. 199 



dal 5 of the total length. Height of head j, of body 5, of dorsal fin 

 ^3 of the total length. 



Eyes. Diameter nearly \ of length of head, | a diameter from end 

 of snout, 1 diameter apart. 



Profile of back nearly horizontal, having only a slight elevation to 

 the dorsal fin. Abdominal profile convex. Upper surface of head 

 compressed. 



Mouth antero-superior ; when closed the end of the lower jaw 

 forms part of the dorsal profile ; tip of the lower jaw thin and not 

 covered by lip. The nasal cirrus is short, whilst the maxillary ex- 

 tends as far as the operculum. 



Teeth. Pharyngeal teeth in three rows, crooked and pointed, 

 5, 3, 1/1, 3, 5. 



Fins. Dorsal commences opposite to the anal and slightly in advance 

 of the centre of the total length ; there are fourteen rows of scales 

 between its origin and the head. Caudal deeply lobed. Dorsal 

 and anal highest anteriorly. Pectoral reaches as far as origin of 

 ventral. 



Lateral line absent. 



Colours. Metallic dark blue with brilliant reflections, divided along 

 the body by four horizontal white lines, whilst there is a greenish 

 tinge along the back ; the blue of the body is continued on to the 

 tail, where it forms three bands. Dorsal with a dark blue edging. 

 Anal with three horizontal blue bands. 



Hab. Ennore, near Madras. A number of these little fishes were 

 kept some months in an aquarium, but did not increase in size. 

 They prefer swimming close to the surface, and eat meat more rea- 

 dily than vegetable food. 



I have placed this fish as a Danio as defined by Dr. Bleeker. 



4. Synopsis of the Species of Saccomyinte, or Pouched Mice, 

 in the Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. John 

 Edward Gkay, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., F.L.S., &c. 



The family of Pouched Mice is well characterized by Dr. Spencer 

 Baird in his work on the ' Mammalia of North America,' p. 403 ; and 

 he has carefully described the North-American species which came 

 under his observation. 



The family, as far as is known, is confined to North and Central 

 America and t he West-India Islands. 



Unfortunately the British Museum wants several of the species 

 found in the northern part of the United States ; so I have only been 

 able to refer to Dr. Spencer Baird' s description of them. 



It contains several species of Spiny Rats that were sent to the 

 Museum from Paris under the names used in Dr. Baird's work ; but 

 they are evidently not the species to which they have been referred, 

 as they differ in the form of the upper cutting-teeth. 



