6 ME. a. A. BOtlLENGEB ON THE [Jan. lo, 



premaxillaries and maxillaries. Supraoccipital in contact with the 

 frontals, widely separating tlie small parietals. Operculum and 

 suboperculum well developed; preoperculum small; interoperculum 

 enormous, covering the gular region and overlapping its fellow ; 

 svmplectic absent : only three slender branchiostegal rays ; no 

 pharvugeal teeth. Eibs stout, sessile, nearly completely encirchng 

 the body ; slender epineurals ; no epipleurals ; caudal region very 

 short. "No postclavicle. Pectoral fins inserted Ioav down, folding 

 like the ventrals ; latter with 6 rays. 



Phractol^mtjs, gen. n. 



Body elongate, subcylindrical, covered with large striated scales ; 

 lateral line complete, formed of a series of straight tubes extending 

 along the entire length of the exposed part of the scales. Head 

 small, strongly ossified, covered with thin skin ; mouth small, 

 proboscidiform, capable of being thrust forward, when at rest 

 folded over and received into a depression on the upper surftice 

 of the head ; a single narial orifice, preceded by a barbel ; eyes 

 small, lateral. Gill-openings narrow, i-estricted to the sides ; 

 gular region protected by the interopercles, that on one side 

 (usually the right) overlapping that on the other side. Eour 

 gills ; no pseudobranchise. Pectoral fins small, with IS rays ; 

 ventrals far back, with 6 rays ; dorsal short, with 6 rays, opposite 

 to the space between the ventrals and the anal ; latter short, with 

 C) rays ; caudal fan-shaped, with 18 to 20 rays ; all the fin-rays 

 articulated. Air-bladder very large, extending as far back as the 

 anal fin. Stomach with 3 pyloric appendages ; intestine extremely 

 long and much convoluted. 



5. Phbacxol^mus ansokgii, sp. n. (Plate II.) 



Depth of body 5 to 6 times in total length, length of head 6| 

 to 7| times. Head depressed, with very broad, slightly convex 

 interorbital region ; diameter of eye 4| to 5| times in length of 

 head, 3 to 3| times in interorbital widfh ; barbel nearly j length 

 of head. Dorsal with the two anterior rays simple, the other 

 four bifid ; the first ray equally distant from the head and from 

 the root of the caudal ; second ray longest, 1^ length of head. 

 Anal similar to dorsal, but rays shorter, the second or longest 

 only I length of head. Pectoral rounded, a little shorter than 

 head, as long as ventral, which is pointed and equally distant 

 from head and from anal. Caudal rounded. Caudal peduncle 

 compressed, nearly as long as deep, as long as head. Scales large, 

 longitudmally striated, 35 to 37 in a longitudinal series, ff in a 

 transverse series. On the caudal region the scales of the lateral 

 fine and those of the series above it maj bear a central sclerous 

 tubercle (probably a seasonal character). Uniform olive-grey. 



The vertebrae, in a male specimen of which a skeleton has been 

 prepared, number 34, 26 precaudal and 8 caudal, the last bearing 

 hypurals lo support the homocercal fin ; the ribs are subequal, 



