462 CICHLUXE. 



the head and once to once and one-third in the interorbital width ; maxillary extending 

 to below the anterior border of the eye, or not quite so far ; teeth small, brown at the 

 tip, 30 to 50 in the outer series of the upper jaw in the adult, 20 to 30 in the young, 

 28 to 40 in the outer series of the lower jaw in the adult, 20 to 25 in the young; the 

 median pair of teeth, in both jaws, not or but feebly enlarged ; usually one, very rarely 

 two series of minute teeth, if any, behind the outer row ; three or four, rarely five, 

 series of scales on the cheek ; large scales on the operculum, which terminates in a 

 scaleless sclerous lobe. Gill-rakers short, 8 to 10 on lower part of anterior arch. 

 Dorsal fin with 14 or 15 (rarely 13) spines and 10 or 11 (rarely 9 or 13) soft rays; 

 spines increasing in length to the last, which measures two-fifths to one-half the length 

 of the head and three-fifths to three-fourths the length of the longest soft rays. Anal 

 fin with 3 spines and 8 (rarely 7 or 9) soft rays ; third spine longest, as long as or 

 shorter than the longest spines of the dorsal. Pectoral fin obtusely pointed, three- 

 fifths to four-fifths the length of the head. Ventral fin produced into a filament, 

 reaching the vent or the anal fin. Caudal fin rounded. Caudal peduncle a little 

 deeper than long. Scales cycloid, 25 to 29 in a longitudinal series, ^n i* 1 a transverse 

 series ; 15 to 19 scales in the upper lateral line, 7 to 11 in the lower. 



Preserved in spirit, the fish is yellowish brown, with a black spot on the gill-cover, 

 another on the middle of the side of the body, and often a third at the base of the 

 caudal fin ; ill-defined dark cross-bands may be present on the body ; the dark spots 

 may be surrounded by a light area ; small, irregular dark spots are sometimes present 

 on the posterior part of the body ; the vertical fins are greyish white, edged with 

 brown. A sketch made by Mr. Loat at the mouth of Lake No represents the fish as 

 brown above and pink beneath dotted with pale blue, with crimson on the cheek and 

 gill-cover and round the base of the pectoral fin, which is pale yellow ; the vertical 

 fins greyish dotted with crimson and pale blue ; iris golden. 



Delhez's sketch made on the Congo represents the upper parts dark brown, the 

 lower yellow; sky-blue dots on the head and body; the blue-black opercular spot 

 edged with orange ; pectoral and anal fins yellowish, dorsal and anal and rays of the 

 caudal crimson ; iris crimson with a golden circle round the pupil. 



A very large specimen from the Gambia, which 1 saw alive in Capt. Vipan's 

 aquarium, had the body pale olive, tlie head, the belly, the dorsal fin, and the base of 

 the anal and ventrals bright scarlet, the caudal fin, the last rays of the dorsal, and the 

 greater part of the anal and ventrals purplish grey *. 



The largest specimen from the Nile measures 90 millimetres, and as a rule the 

 species does not much exceed that length. Bat a specimen procured by Mr. Budgett 



* Mr. Loat has noted that this fish undergoes a rapid change of colour when immersed in spirit, the 

 fins and the lower parts of the head and body turning to a bright scarlet, which dyes the alcohol a 

 dull red. 



