CLAEIAS. 281 



Pectoral fin two-fifths to one-half the length of the head, the spine serrated on the outer 

 border and one-half (young) to two-thirds the length of the fin. Ventral fin shorter, 

 slightly nearer the end of the snout than the root of the caudal fin. Caudal fin 

 rounded, not quite half the length of the head. 



Upper parts olive or dark brown, uniform or with darker marblings, lower parts 

 white ; a more or less distinct dark band on each side of the lower surface of the 

 head; fins dark, edged with yellow or orange, sometimes with small black spots. 

 Panceri has described a pied albino of this species. 



This species reaches a length of 750 millimetres. 



List of specimens examined : — 



4 Freshwater pool near Ghet-el-Nassara, L. Menzaleh. — Loat, 30.4.99, 11.6.99. 



1 Nile. — Piippell, 1833. (Type of C. parvimanus, Gthr.) 



2 Nile.— Petherick, 1861. 



1 Nile at Cairo, bought in Old Cairo Fish Bazar. — Loat, 11.3.99. 



1 Nile at Cairo, bought in Boulak Fish Bazar. — Loat, 27.3.99. 



1 Pond near Bedreshen, S. o£ Cairo, bought in Old Cairo Fish Bazar. — Loat, 4.4.99. 



3 Near Cairo, in a canal by road leading to Pyramids o£ Giza. — Loat, 6-7.4.99. 

 1 Skull, picked up at Dernare, Lybian Desert. — Capt. Flower, 1899. 



1 Nile at Luxor.— Loat, 26.10.00. 



16 At a regulator near Luxor. — Loat, 12.10.00-10.11.00. 



10 Between Luxor and Assuan. — Loat, 9-10.00. 



5 Assuan.— Loat, 30.9.00-2.10.00. 

 1 Khartum.— Petherick, 1862. 



1 Fashoda.— Loat, 19.1.01. 



1 Skull. Lake Victoria. — Degen, 1905. 



I have also examined the type of Clarias hasselquistii (Nile : Geoffroy St. Hilaire) in 

 the Paris Museum. It differs from the figure accompanying Valenciennes's description 

 in lacking the posterior median process of the band of vomerine teeth, this band being 

 narrowed in the middle. Its length is 580 millimetres. 



Clarias anguillaris appears to be restricted to the Nile and Lake Victoria. 



Mr. Loat has noted that both this species and Heterobranchus bidorsalis have been seen 

 to leave the water and move about on the ground during the daytime and at night, and 

 are said to eat green stuff. When placed on the ground the fish uses the spines of its 

 pectoral fins for progression, moving first one spine and then the other alternately. 

 When there is only a small quantity of water in the muddy pools and trenches, the 

 fishes are easily caught with the hand, as they are resting on the mud or under stones. 

 According to Dr. J. C. Mitchell * this species, which is confounded with C. lazera 

 by the fishermen, occurs throughout the year in the fresh portions of Lake Menzaleh, 



* ' Eeport on the Edible Fishes of Lake Menzaleh ' (Cairo, 1895) p. 14. 



On 



