568 SUllGEON-MAJOE DAT OBT SOME OP 



course, because it is found in India, such is no reason against its 

 also being in China, as seen in O. gachua, H. B. 



5. Ophiocephalus gachua. Ham. Buck. 



One of the specimens is tinged with orange. When in Assam 

 I obtained some of these fishes from near Goalpara, where the 

 O. aurantiactis, H. B., came from. All were more or less spotted 

 and marked with yellow about the head. I have received this 

 widely distributed species from Major Miles, who captured it in 

 the river Kej, near Gwadur, in Beloochistan. It is also found in 

 Afghanistan. 



6. Mastacembelus armatus, Ldcep. 



Is the same as Sykes's species. I obtained the M. pancalus, 

 H. B., at Jubbulpore, and also as high up the Brahmapootra in 

 Assam as Debrooghur. The variations which this spined eel 

 undergo are very remarkable : the fin-rays are usually D. 25-26/ 

 30-40, A. 3/31-38 ; in Upper Assam I found the fin-rays D. 26/42, 

 A. 3/46, and a few vertical bands on the body. In Burmah the 

 banded M. zehrinus, Blyth, appears to supersede it ; still it is 

 worthy of inquiry whether such is not only a local form i it has 

 D. 28-29/50-52, A. 3/51-56. There are twenty rows of scales 

 between the lateral line and the commencement of the soft dorsal 

 fin instead of eighteen, as seen in the M. pancalus. To illustrate 

 how widely the number of fin-rays diff'ers in fish of this genus, I 

 have received a M. unicolor from the Berlin Museum with D. 

 33/94, A. 3/98, the formula usually given being D. 33-34/80-84, 

 A. 3/75-81. In the M. armatus the variations in the number of 

 the fin-rays are likewise considerable. It is termed at Hingolie 

 " Aral, Tamil ; Panpura, Telugu ; Baum, Hindostanee ; Warn, 

 Mahratta." 



7. Macrones AOR=PimeIotlus aor, H. B.; Platystoma seenghala, 

 Sykes ; Bagrus seenghala, Bleelcer ^" Jerdon. 



" Karlee kellettee, Tarn. ; Waldee, Hind." 



8. M. CAVASius = Pimelodus cavasius. Ham. Buck.; Pimelodiis seen- 

 gtee, SyJces ; Bagrus seengtee, Bleelcer. 



" Topa kellettee, Tarn.; Chinnah jeUah, Tel.; CJiota Jcaternet^ 

 Hind." 



9. Rita KUTURNEE = Phractocephahis kuturnee, Sykes; Pimelodus? 

 kuturnee, Bleeker ; Bagrus kuturnee, Jerdon. 



This species of Eita has no posterior prolongjation of its air- 



