FAMILY, I— PEECID^. 81 



4. Diagramma cinctum, Plate XXI, fig. 1. 



Biagramma cinctum, Temm. and ScHeg. Fauna Japonica, Poiss. p. 61, pi. 26, f. 1 ; Richardson, let. 

 China, p. 226 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 325. 



B. vii, D. ^L, p. 17, V. 1/6, A. -f, C. 17, L. 1. 56, L. r. ^z^, L. tr. 14/20. 



Length of head 3/11, of caudal 1/6, height of body 1/3 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 4j in length 

 of head, \\ diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. A considerable rise from the snout to the base of the 

 dorsal fin : upper jaw slightly the longer. The maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the orbit. Vertical 

 margin of preopercle also shoulder-bone serrated. Teeth — viUiform in the jaws. Fins — dorsal spines strong, 

 increasing in length to the fourth and fifth, which are equal in height to nearly haK that of the body, from 

 the fifth they decrease in length : soft portions of dorsal and anal rounded. Pectoral half as long as the body 

 is high, it does not reach so far as the ventral, which last extends three-fourths of the way to the anal : second 

 anal spine much stronger and longer than the third, it equals nearly 1/3 the height of the body and the length 

 of the postorbital portion of the head : caudal cut square. Colours — slaty-grey, the upper half of the anterior 

 and the whole of the posterior portion of the body covered with large black bl6tches. Two rows of black 

 blotches and an outer black margin to the dorsal fin, usually an additional row on the soft portion : caudal 

 and soft portion of the anal likewise with black blotches and a black margin : ventral nearly black : pectoral 

 yellow. The bands on thfe body alluded to in the ' Fauna Japonica' and shown in the plate do not exist in my 

 Indian specimens. 



Habitat. — Sind, where it is not uncommon, attaining to two feet in length ; also in China and Japan. In 

 the British Museum is a specimen marked "gr. adult: skin. Nepal? Presented by B. H. Hodgson, Esq." 

 (Catal. vol. i, p. 326.) ; this marine fish, it is almost unnecessary to observe, could not have been captured in 

 such a locaUty, but was probably obtained from the mouth of the Hooghly along with several other sea fish, 

 which are likewise recorded as from Nepal and sent by Mr. Hodgson. 



5. Diagramma griseum, Plate XXI, fig. 2. 



Ouv. and Val. v, p. 306 ; Giinther, Catal. i; p. 321 ; Playfair, Fishes of Zanzibar, p. 26, pi. iv, fig. 3, 

 var. h. and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 851.* 



B. vii, D. ii-:ff-, P. 17, V. 1/5, A. y^_-^, C. 17, L. 1. 63, L. r. ff:ff, L. tr. 13/26, Ceec. pyl. 9. 



Length of head 3/11 to 1/4, of caudal 1/6, height of body 1/3 of the total length. Eyes — diameter from 

 2/7 in the young to 1/4 of length of head, 1-| diameters from end of snout, and 1 apart. The profile from the 

 snout to occiput more obtuse in adults than in the young. The maxilla reaches to below the posterior nostril. 

 Vertical limb of preopercle rather strongly and evenly serrated, angle rounded and also serrated. Shoulder- 

 bone serrated. Teeth — villiform in the jaws. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength, the third or fourth 

 the highest and equal to the length of the postorbital portion of the head, from thence they gradually decrease 

 to the last ; height of soft dorsal scarcely exceeds that of one-third of the body. Pectoral as long as head without 

 the snout and of about equal length to the ventral : second anal spine strongest and longest, equalhng the 

 distance between the middle of the orbit and the end of the head in the young or merely the postorbital portion 

 in the adult : caudal slightly emarginate. Free portion of tail as deep at its comm encenieut as it is long. 

 Scales — in oblique rows above the lateral-line, some are present on the preorbital. Colours — uniform grey or 

 olive-grey with the fins nearly or quite black. In the young the general colour is olive, with some sinuous 

 and narrow light blue lines over the snout and cheeks, but which usually fade shortly after death. There are 

 also several sinuous blue hues taking an oblique direction from the head upwards, and which extend to nearly 

 the length of the body. Also a black mark over the posterior end of the free portion of the tail. 



Variety. — " Colour grey above, white below, with four whitish curved cross bands ; the first crosses the 

 forehead and terminates at the angles of the operculum and preoperculum : the second proceeds from the 

 second dorsal spine, in the direction of the root of the ventrals : the third runs parallel to the last from the 

 seventh and eighth dorsal spines ; and the last, also parallel, runs from the first anal ray to the posterior of 

 anal. Fins blackish, immaculate. Length 4| to 17 inches." (" Fishes of Zanzibar," p. 26.) ■ 



Diagramma sordidum, Klunz. (Verb. z. b. Ges. Wien, 1870, p. 67) = ? Scicena scAoia/, Forsk. (p. 51) has 

 the sixth dorsal spine the highest and slightly longer than in J), griseum, D. \^, A. f . The above is from one 

 of the type specimens which closely resembles D. griseum. 



Habitat. — East coast of Africa, Beloochistan and seas of India, attaining at least 18 inches in length. 

 It is very common in Sind and Bombay. Specimen figured 6 inches long. 



6. Diagramma pictum, Plate XXI, fig. 3. 



Percapicta, Thunb. Nya Handl. xiii, 1792, p. 142, pi, v, fig. 1. 

 Bcioena abu mgaterm, Forsk. p. 51. 



* Col. Playfair observes that "several specimens of this fish were caught in a mountain-torrent in Seychelles,"which loses 

 itself in a sand-bank without reaching the sea. The only direct communication between the two is after unusually heavy floods, so 

 that it would appear that this salt water species not only visits, but habitually lives in fresh water." This conclusion requu-es modification, 

 the species perhaps, as is common with many other marine forms in the East, entered the river with the rain floods, and owing to a 

 sudden subsidence, return to the ooeaij became c»t off, and ttjose which did pot die were waiting for the next rains to allow them to 

 escape to the sea (see page 68 ante). 



