164 



CYPEINID^E. 



longer than the head, not reaching the ventral, the first ray of which falls below the 

 sixth or seventh branched ray of the dorsal. Caudal fin deeply emarginate, crescentic 

 when fully spread out. Caudal peduncle but little longer than deep in the adult, 

 once and one-fourth to once and one-third as long as deep in the young. Scales finely 

 striated longitudinally, 41-45 ft^, 5 or 6 between the lateral line and the base of 

 the ventral, 18 to 22 (usually 20) round the caudal peduncle. 



The upper parts are greyish, brownish, olive, or steel-blue, the lower silvery white ; 

 a more or less distinct dark bar behind the gill-opening ; ill-defined dark longitudinal 

 lines may run between the series of scales below the lateral line ; the membrane 

 between the fin-rays is more or less obscured by minute black specks. Mr. Loat has 

 made a coloured sketch of an adult specimen at Kosheh, which shows the upper parts 

 to have been brown with green edges to the scales, the dark bar behind the gill- 

 opening bright green ; the scales on the middle of the side, above and beneath the 

 lateral line, orange in the centre ; fins greyish, the ventrals tinged with flesh-colour ; 

 upper part of iris orange, lower part silvery white. A young specimen, 115 millim. 

 long, from Ghet-el-Nassara, is represented as electric blue on the back, the scales just 

 above the lateral line shot with pink in the middle and with blue on the sides, the 

 lower parts white, shot with very pale salmon-pink ; upper surface of head and caudal 

 fin dark olive-grey ; dorsal fin pale grey ; paired fin and anal pale salmon-pink ; iris 

 salmon-pink in its upper part, silvery white below. 



The largest specimen examined by me measures 470 millimetres. 



This species inhabits the Lower and Upper Nile, the Blue Nile, and the White Nile. 

 It is found, during Nile time, in Lakes Menzaleh, Borollos, and Edkou. It has 

 also been obtained in the Sagan River, connecting L. Abaia with L. Stephanie, and 

 in an affluent of the Omo River. I have examined specimens from the following 

 localities : — 



21 Lower Nile.— Petherick, 1861. 

 12 Near Ghet-el-Nassara.— Loat, 4.6.99. 

 8 Bahr-el-Tawilah, a freshwater canal running into the west side of L. Menzaleh. — Loat, 

 26.6.99. 

 17 Nile near Samannud. — Loat, 12-23.7.99. 



1 Lake Edkou.— Loat, 29.10.99. 



10 Rosetta branch of Nile, downstream side of Barrage. — Loat, 28.7.99. 



2 Cairo, bought in Old Cairo Fish-Bazar.— Loat, 27.3.99. 



4 Near Cairo, in a canal by side of road leading to Pyramids of Giza. — Loat, 7.3.99. 

 8 Beni Souef.— Loat, 26.8.99. 



3 Birket-Karun, Fayum.— Loat, 29.9.99. 



1 Bahr Selah, Fayum.— Loat, 5.10.99. 



2 Nile between Abu Tig and Assiut.— Loat, 1.12.99. 

 102 At a regulator near Luxor. — Loat, 10.11.00. 



400 Nile between Luxor and Assuan. — Loat, 9-10.00. 



