308 MB. F. DAY ON THE BELATIOlirSHIP OE THE 



Eelationsliip of the Indian and African Preshwater Eigh.- 

 ]Faunas. By Francis Day, F.L.S. 



[Head 4th December, 1884.] 



Among- the many interesting problems in Zoology, few exceed 

 that of the Geographical Distribution of Animals, in which 

 the freshwater fish-fauna holds no inconspicuous place. It is 

 therefore highly advisable that when discussing such a question, 

 facts should be first ascertained, and theories be founded on them, 

 for if the former are not quite accurate, the latter may be untenable. 



During the years 1877, 1878, and 1879, I had the honour of 

 readiiig three papers before this Society on "The Greographical 

 Distribution of the Freshwater Fishes of India," deduced from 

 personal researches into the fish-fauna of that empire. I com- 

 pared that fauna with the African and that of the Malay Archi- 

 pelago, and these papers were published in the Journal of this 

 Society*. All the species alluded to with their local distribution 

 will also be found in my ' Fishes of India,' which was published in 

 four parts at the following dates : — Part I. August 1875, Part II. 

 August 1876, Part III. August 1877, and Part lY. August 1878. 



In 1880, about October, Dr. G-iinther brought out his ' Intro- 

 duction to the Study of Fishes,' wherein he adduces a different 

 statement of facts, to a great extent due to his examining groups 

 instead of genera and species, and consequently arrives at widely 

 different conclusions from mine ; but it would seem to me possible 

 that, owing to some oversight, he has omitted whole genera from 

 his list of Indian freshwater forms, and likewise misplaced marine 

 ones to among such as belong to the freshwater. That he had not 

 even referred to my ' Fishes of India ' is evident, for he remarks 

 (Z. c. 1880, p. 30) that it " contains an account of the freshwater 

 and marine species, and is not yet complete," whereas the entire 

 work had been published by August 1878t. 



I think, from a close examination of his figures, that I am 

 correct in asserting that his tables are compiled from the species 

 enumerated in the ' Catalogue of Fishes in the British Museum,' 

 to which are added those subsequently admitted into the ' Zoo- 



* Part I. Acanthopterygii, vol. xiii. p. 138, Feb. 28th, 1877; Part II. 

 Silmidw, I. c. p. 338, Aug. 20l,h, 1877; and Conclusion, yol. xiv. p. 643, April 23rd, 

 1879. 



t See also 'Encyclop. Brit.,' art. Eish, xii. p. 635, wherein Dr. Giinther has 

 reiterated his statement, but in a different way. 



