1893.] FISHES FBOil BBITISH CBN'TEAI, AFEICA. 627 



head is contained four times and one third in it. Eye large, 

 shorter than the snout, and one fourth of the length of the head, 

 occupying a position somewhat anterior to the middle of the head, 

 The snout is pointed, with the mouth resembUng that of a Clupeoid, 

 the jaws having sharp margins, but being toothless ; lower jaw not 

 projecting when the mouth is closed, but provided with a short 

 symphysial hook ; bones of the suborbital ring, and particularly the 

 prseorbital, dilated. Head flat above ; interorbital space rather 



Engraulieypris pinguis. 



narrower than the orbit. AH the fins are short and feeble. The 

 ventrals inserted somewhat nearer to the root of the caudal fin than 

 to the end of the snout. The first dorsal ray is somewhat in 

 advance of the first anal ray and nearer to the root of the caudal 

 than to the gill-opening. Caudal emarginate. 



All the scales are lost, but from the impressions of the skin it 

 would appear that there are nine or ten scales in a transverse 

 series below the origin of the dorsal fin. 



Back dark bluish green, this colour being sharply defined from 

 the silvery of the sides and lower parts ; sides of the head bright 

 silvery. The middle of the caudal fin is blackish with whitish 

 centre. 



Two specimens, 4 inches long, in bad condition, are sent by 

 the Eev. J. A. Williams. 1 cannot help thinking that this fish, 

 if it occurs in any great numbers and is easy of capture, might be 

 preserved in a way similar to Anchovies and would form a useful 

 addition to the food of the European community. 



Haplochilus joh>"stoxi, sp. n. 



D. 7. A. 12-13. L. lat. 29. L. transv. 7. 



The height of the body is one fourth or one fifth of the total 

 length, without caudal ; the length of the head a little less than 

 one fourth. Head compressed ; snout somewhat depressed ; 

 lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. The width of the inter- 

 orbital space is less than one half of the length of the head. The 

 diameter of the eye equals the length of the snout, and is a little 

 less than one third of the length of the head. The origin of the 

 dorsal fin is twice as distant from the eye as from the root of the 

 caudal, and corresponds to the seventeenth scale of the lateral line 

 or to the ninth anal ray. Pectoral fin extending beyond the root 

 of the ventral. Xone of the fins elongate. Coloration of speci- 

 mens in spirit uniform reddish olive ; a fine bluish line runs along 

 the scales of the lateral line. 



