374 



SILUBIDJE. 



five to eight times as long as its distance from the rayed dorsal. Anal fin obtusely 

 pointed in front, with 12 or 13 rays, 7 or 8 of which are branched. Pectoral spine nearly 

 as long as or a little longer than that of the dorsal, reaching or nearly reaching the root 

 of the ventral fin, its outer border finely, its inner border more strongly serrated (seme 

 14 in the young to 40 in the adult). Ventral fin not reaching the anal. Caudal fin 

 deeply forked, the upper lobe longer than the lower, sometimes prolonged into a 

 filament. Caudal peduncle as long as deep or deeper than long. 



Uniform bluish grey or brownish above, white beneath. Mouth and maxillary 

 barbels pink ; iris grey, with a pale golden circle. Young with minute dark specks on 

 the back and on the adipose fin. The very young is still unknown. 



The largest specimen measures 470 millimetres. 



The habitat of this species seems to be confined to the Nile, where it appears to be 

 much rarer than S. schall. The original specimen was obtained by Ruppell at Cairo. 

 Mr. Loat's collection contains a good number of specimens from the Lower and Upper 

 Nile, but only one from the White Nile. It is through an error of determination that I 

 recorded this species from Lake Chad ; the dried specimen sent to the British Museum 

 by Capt. Gosling, should, I now think, be referred to S. gambiensis. 



Gunther's S. serratus from Old Calabar (Ann. & Mag. N. H. [6] xvii. 1896, p. 277) 

 is a distinct species, which I have described under the name of S. obesus. 



The specimen from the Webi Shebeli noticed by Vinciguerra (Ann. Mus. Genova, 

 [2] xvii. 1896, p. 351) may turn out to be identical with Gunther's S. geledensis. 



List of specimens examined : — 



3 Nile near Samannud. — Loat, 12.7.99. 



1 Beni Souef.— Loat, 27.8.99. 



8 Assuan.— Loat, 30.12.99 6.1.00. 



2 Abu Hor.— Loat, 18.1.00. 



1 Mirrwau.— Loat, 19.1.00. 



2 El Maharraka.— Loat, 24.1.00. 



4 Ibrim.— Loat, 5-6.2.00. 



1 Abaad.— Loat, 8.2.00. 



2 Fergunt.— Loat, 12.2.00. 



3 Abu Simbel.— Loat, 14.2.00. 

 1 Belanya.— Loat, 14.2.00. 



3 Wady Haifa.— Loat, 23-25.2.00. 



3 Kosheh.— Loat, 15-28.3.00. 



3 Khartum.— Petherick, 1861 



1 Ahmed Aga, White Nile.— Loat, 15-28.3.00. 



1 Between Khartum and the Sobat. — Zaphiro, 1904. 



Mr. Loat says that, according to the fishermen, this Schall is hardly ever taken at 

 Assuan with the casting-net, but with baited hooks, as it frequents deep water. The 



