246 



CYPBINID^E. 



the valuable collection which it has been my privilege to describe. It is easily distin- 

 guished from B. carpio by the more anterior position of the ventral fins. B. kerstenii, 

 Peters, which is still more closely allied to it, differs in the larger eye (not quite three 

 times in length of head) and the shorter barbels. 



26. BAKBUS PERINCE. 

 (Plate XLVII. fig. 2.) 



Kiippell, Mus. Senckenb. ii. p. 12, pi. ii. fig. 2 (1837) ; Giinther, Cat. Fish. vii. p. 105 (1868), 

 and Petherick's Trav. ii. p. 262 (1869). 



Depth of body twice and three-fourths to three and one-third times in the total 

 length, length of head three and two-thirds to four and a half times. Snout rounded, 

 not projecting, three and a half to four and a half times in the length of the head; 

 diameter of eye three to three and a half times in the length of the head, interorbital 

 width two and one-third to two and a half times ; mouth terminal or subinferior, its 

 width four to five times in the length of the head ; lips feebly developed, not extending 

 across the chin ; barbels two on each side, the anterior one-half to four-fifths, the 

 posterior five-sixths to one and one-fifth diameters of eye, the distance between them 

 not more than one-half the diameter of the eye. Dorsal fin with III 8 (rarely 7) rays, 

 the last simple ray not ossified, nearly as long as or a little longer than the head, the 

 border usually more or less distinctly emarginate ; origin of the fin usually a little 

 nearer the end of the snout than the root of the caudal fin. Anal fin with III 5 rays, 

 longest two-thirds to three-fourths the length of the head. Pectoral fin acutely pointed, 

 a little shorter than the head, not reaching (rarely nearly reaching) the ventral ; 

 the latter below the anterior rays of the dorsal. Caudal Ian deeply forked. Caudal 

 peduncle once to once and a half as long as deep. Scales smooth, 28-32 pE§t, 2 or 3 

 between lateral line and ventral, 12 or 14 round caudal peduncle. 



Some specimens, and such are RiippeH's types from Cairo, are uniform silvery, with 

 the back pale sea-green, the fins white and transparent. Others, and these seem to be 

 by far the more frequent, have three more or less distinct round blackish spots on the 

 middle of the side, the first before, the second behind the vertical of the base of the 

 dorsal fin, the third on the caudal peduncle near the root of the caudal fins. Such 

 specimens, from the Damietta branch of the Nile, are thus described by Mr. Loat : — 

 " Silvery white, the fins colourless, or with a faint tinge of lemon on the dorsal and 

 caudal, the back dull brownish yellow, bordered below by a line of shot reddish gold ; 

 the three blackish spots are not visible when the fish is first taken out of the water, 

 but appear a short time afterwards." I am indebted to Capt. S. Flower for young 

 specimens with four or five black spots on the side. 



