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Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol. V, 



Hamilton Buchanan found this fish in the estuaries of the Granges and had a drawing 

 made of it which is still preserved in the volume of manuscript drawings (Plate lxvi) 

 in the library of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 1 The name Katchanda is written on the 

 page both in Bengali and Roman characters. This is the local name for the fish. In the 

 absence of the type specimen this manuscript plate becomes the protograph. Hamilton 

 Buchanan doubted the propriety of including it under the genus Chanda and suggested 

 its removal to the genus Coins. In the drawing also, the number of spines in the dorsal'ün 

 is ten and that of rays only nine. Genes lucidus of Cuvier and Valenciennes is described 

 from specimens received from Pondicherry having nine spines and ten divided rays. Günther 

 considers G. lucidus as a doubtful species and does not recognise G. setifer at all. He, 

 however, described this fish as a new species under the name of G. altipinnis, from a speci- 

 men from the Ganges, which perhaps was Hamilton Buchanan's type as it was out of a col- 

 lection presented by G. R. Waterhouse which is suspected to contain some of Hamilton 

 Buchanan's types. Day has admitted both the names G. setifer and G. lucidus though 

 he was strongly of opinion that they referred to the same species. Jordan 2 on the other 

 hand proposed a new genus, which he styled Gerreomorpha, for specimens with ten instead 

 of nine dorsal spines (viz., G.japonica and G. setifer). Though in other respects quite similar, 

 some of the specimens in the present collection have ten and others nine spines. This is, 

 therefore, a variable character in the species. 



There are altogether one hundred and twenty-two specimens in the collection, all 

 obtained during the months of February and March. The species is found during this 

 restricted period throughout the main area as well as in the outer channel of the lake. The 

 following statement shows the different localities whence the specimens were obtained and 

 their number and size : — 



1 specimen 



... Ofi Barkuda Island 





17th February, 1914 



mm. 

 .. 56 



2 specimens 



... OfiBarkul ... 



... 



1st March, 1914 



.. 39 and 44 



17 



... Barkul Bay ... 



... 



1st March, 1914 



... 32—54 



10 



... Chilka lake ... 





... 



.. 49—98 



60 



... Chirriya Island towards 

 Samal Island 



17-18th February, 1914 . 



.. 28—56 



7 



... OfiKalidai ... 



... 



1st March, 1914 



.. 31—43 



1 specimen 



... Between Kalidai 

 Samal Island 



and 



20th February, 1914 



.. 36 



6 specimens 



. . . Ofi Patsahanipur 



... 



3-9th March, 1914 



.. 18—55 



8 



... From Sankuda towards 

 Samal Island 



17th February, 1914 



.. 26—43 



7 



. . . Eambka Bay 



... 



February, 1914 



.. 45—74 



1 specimen 



55 55 



... 



March, 1914 



.. 45' 



2 specimens 



. . . Satpara 



. . . 



7th March, 1914 



.. 33—60 



The species appears to be a dry-weather visitor to the lake and does not breed in it. 

 It is said to be the most common Indian species, visiting the coasts in enormous numbers 

 and going up the estuaries. 



1 Chaudhuri, Mem. Ind. Mus. V, p. 444. 



2 Jordan, The Gerrid fishes of Japan. Proc. Ü. S. Nat. Mus. XXXIII, p. 247 (1908). 



