FAMILY, XXXI— RHYNCHOBDELLID^. 341 



Amongst Sir W. Elliot's drawings is one of the spotted variety of this fish termed Bati papirai, 

 from the Condapilly tank. 



In the Catal. of Fishes, Brit. Mus. iii, p. 641, Dr. Giinther mentions under the head of M. Aleppensis, a 

 fourth specimen, D. 35 spines, uniform brown-black, and not specifically distinct : it was received from the East 

 India Company, and this is the only specimen in spirit stated to have come from their Museum. In the Calc. 

 J. N. H. ii, p. 573, is a list of the fishes sent by McClelland to the India House Museum. Amongst them is 

 Maerognathus caudatus, McClell. said to have 30 prickles or more in front of the dorsal fin. Perhaps it may be 

 this very specimen. 



Habitat. — This fish extends from Sind, throughout the fresh and brackish waters of the plains and hills 

 of India, Ceylon, and Burma to China, attaining two feet or more in length. It is good eating, especially when 

 curried or fried. The specimen figured is life-size. 



5. Mastacembelus Guentheri, Plate LXXIII, fig. 3. 



Day, Proc. Z. Soc. 1865, p. 37, and Fish. Malabar, p. 154, pi. xi. 

 ? Mastacembelus Malabairicus, Jerdon, M. J. L. and Sc. 1848, p. 147. 



B. vi, D. 27-30 I 60-74, P. 15, A. 3 | 62-75, C. 9. 



Length of head 7, of pectoral 20 to 23, of caudal 17 to 19, height of body 8 to 9 in the total length. 

 Eyes — one diameter apart. Height of the head equals 1/2 its length b^iind the angle of the mouth : its width 

 equals half of its postorbital length. The height of the body equals the length of the head behind the angle of 

 the mouth, its width is not quite 1/2 its height. Snout a Httle more than or about 1/2 the length of the head, 

 the fleshy prolongation trilobed at its extreinity. The maxilla does not reach to below the nostril. Angle of 

 preopercle with two strong denticulations which decrease in size with age, the young have the lower margin 

 also serrated. A preorbital spine. Fins — the dorsal spines commence on a vertical behind the end of the 

 pectoral fin and are short, the posterior ones being the longest. Vertical fins confiuent, but a slight notch 

 apparent ia the adult which is not seen in the young. Colowrs — olive or greenish-brown, becoming dull yellow 

 inferiorly, some black bands radiate from the eye and cross the under surface of the jaws. A light band runs 

 along the upper edge of the lateral-line, whilst short oblique bars or marblings exist on the body and which are 

 continued on to the vertical fins. 



This may be M. Malabaricus, Jerdon, for he observes that his species is less thick in proportion to its 

 length than M. armatus. He gives the following formula, D. 37 | 74 ?, A. 3 — 74, the D. 37 may be a misprint 

 for D. 27. 



M. Ouentlieri has only 1 5 rows of scales between the lateral-hue and the base of the first rays of the soft 

 dorsal fin : the distance from behind the eye to the first dorsal spine equals 5| in the length of the fish behind 

 the eye : the length of the base of the spinous dorsal is not equal to half the distance behind the end of the 

 pectoral fin. 



M. armatus has 30 rows of scales between the lateral-line and the base of the first ray of the soft dorsal 

 fin : the distance from behind the eye to the first dqrsal spine equals from 7J to 8 in the length of the fish 

 posterior to the eye : the length of the base of the spinous dorsal equals half the length of the fish behind the 

 preopercle. 



Habitat. — Malabar coast, the specimen figured (life-size) is from Malabar. It attains 8 or 9 inches in 

 length and is good eating. 



