4 ME. G. A. BOULENGER OK THE [Jail. 15, 



new to science, two being made the types of additional genera of 

 the family GicMidce. 



This Memoir will be published in full in the Society's ' Trans- 

 actions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On the Fishes collected by Dr. W. J. Ansorge in the Niger 

 Delta. By G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived January 4, 1901.] 

 (Plates II.-IV.O 



Whilst recently staying at Sapelle Station, at the JLinetion of 

 the Ethiop and Jamieson Elvers, Dr. Ansorge has, at ray request, 

 made a small collection of the Fishes, which proves to be of quite 

 an exceptional interest, from the fact that through it representatives 

 of two families are added to the African freshwater fish-fauna, one 

 being even entirely new, an event that has not happened since 

 1.873, when the late Professor Peters described the genus Pantodon, 

 the type of the family Pantodontidce. I feel extremely grateful 

 to Dr. Ansorge for the trouble he has taken, under difficult 

 circumstances and without better preserving-fluid than common 

 trade-gin. 



The collection was made in August and September 1900. Some 

 of the small Perch-like fishes (CicJdida') were caught with hook 

 and line baited with worms. But most of the fishes, including 

 CalamicJithys, the Mormyrs, and the new Phractolcemus, were 

 captured in creels baited with the orange-red fleshy nut of the 

 oil-palm, set at the mouth of the Ethiop River, close to the bank, 

 by Dr. Ansorge's native boy. All these fishes are considered 

 good-eating by the blacks. 



I am pleased to add that the examples of the new species 

 have been generously presented to the British Museum by 

 Dr. Ansorge. 



PoLYPTERIDiE. 



1. Calamiohthts calabarious J. A. Smith. 



The single specimen contained in the collection, a female 

 measuring 345 milhmetres, with 11 dorsal spines, is extremely 

 remarkable for having a very small, but perfectly distinct sub- 

 operculum. The absence of this bone, verified on a considerable 

 number of specimens, had been regarded as one of the generic 

 characters distinguishing CalamicJithys from Polypterus. The 

 coloration of the specimen is a dark oHve-browu above, gradually 

 shading into a bright yellow beneath ; a large deep-black spot on 

 the pectoral fin. 



Every possibility of the presence of a suboperculum indicating a 

 ^ For an explanation of the Plates, see p. 10. 



