76 



mormykim:. 



List of specimens examined : — 



1 Upper Nile.— Petherick, 1862. 



1 Kawa, White Nile.— Loat, 5.1.01. 



6 Fashoda.— Loat, 18-29.3,01. 



1 Polkom, Baro B. (Sobat).— Zaphiro, 4.04. 



1 (head only) Bahr-el-Ghazal.— Capt. Flower, 3.00. 



1 Lake Rudolf at Galeba. — Zaphiro, 6.8.05. 



1 Shari Wasu at Maidugari. — Capt. Gosling, 1904. 



14 Kaedi, Senegal.— Delhez, 1899. 



1 Lagos. — Sir A. Moloney, 1891. 



1 Oguta, S. Nigeria. — Dr. Ansorge, 1902. 



2 Assay, S. Nigeria. — Budgett, 1903. 



1 Niger. 



2 West Africa. 



Mr. Loat observes that the fish when just taken out of the water and tapped on the 

 back sets its dorsal fin into a wavy motion, like the movements of cilia, running up 

 from the caudal region to the head. 



Fig. 9. 



■'"■&•' 



\ ^ .// y/ 4 



s •. 







Jfe 



14/ / 



"■> 



: :%i' 



*: Y ,..: t . r . .: 



Floating nest of Gymnarchus nilotieus. (After Budgett ) 



The late J. S. Budgett has made the following observations on the life-history of 

 Gymnarchus nilotieus in the Gambia : — 



" While hunting for Polypterus eggs, I met with several large floating nests 

 measuring in all two feet in length and one in breadth. The nests were made in the 

 dense grasses of the swamp in three to four feet of water. The inside measurement 

 was about a foot by six inches. Three sides of the nest projected from the water ; the 

 fourth side was several inches lower, being about two inches below surface. The 



