G POLYPTEUID.Ii:. 



B. 52-61 scales along the body, 32-40 round the middle ; i.iterorbital 

 region convex, not more than 2 diameters of eye. 



1. Pectoral reaching or nearly reaching first dorsal spine. 

 D. X-XI ; 56 scales in longitudinal series, 38 



round middle of body, 14-17 between occipnt 



and first dorsal spine 7. P. delhezi, Blgr., p. 13. 



2. Pectoral widely separated from first dorsal spine. 

 D. VIII-XI ; 53-61 scales in longitudinal series, 



3i-40 round middle of body, 15-20 between 



occipnt and first dorsal spine 8. P. senegalus, Cuv., p. 14. 



D. V-IX ; 52-56 scales in longitudinal series, 



36-10 round middle of body, 23-26 between 



occiput and first dorsal spine 9. P- palmas, Ayres, p. 16. 



B. VI-VII; 58-5!t scales in longitudinal series, 



32-36 I'ound middle of body, 35-37 between 



occiput and first dorsal spine 10. P. retropinnis, VailL, p. 17. 



1. POLYPTERUS BICHIR. 



Geoffr. Ann. du Mus. i. 1802, p. 57, pi. v., and Descr. Egypte, Poiss. p. 4, 

 pi. iii. (1809) ; Gnichen. Mag. Zool. 1839, Poiss. p. 10 ; Giinth. Petherick's 

 Trav. ii. p. 267 (1869) ; A. Dum. Hist. Poiss. ii. p. 391, pi. xxiii. fig. 1 

 (1870) ; Schweinf. Herz. Afr. i. p. 253, fig. (1874) ; Steind. Denkschr. Ak. 

 Wien, xliv. 1882, p. 52, pis. viii. & ix. fig..l ; Bouleng. Ann. & Mag. N. H. 

 (7) ii. 1898, p. 417 ; S. Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1900, p. 968 ; Werner, 

 Zool. Jahrb., Syst. xxi. 1904, p. 271, and Sitzb. Ak. Wien, cxv.i. 1906, p. 1118 ; 

 Bouleng. Fish. Nile, ]>. 5, pi. i. (1907). 



Polypterus hicJiir, part., Giinth. Cat. Fish. viii. p. 326 (1870). 



Head twice or nearly twice as long as broad, rather strongly flattened, 

 its length 4j to 6§ times in total length, with supero-lateral eyes and 

 slightly convex interorbital region ; lower jaw projecting slightly beyond 

 upper ; length of snout 5 to 7 times in length of the head ; eye 8| 

 () oung) to 13 times in length of the head, If (young) to 2f times in inter- 

 ocular width ; latter less than distance between eye and spiracle ; nasal 

 bones in contact on the median line in the adult ; a series of 4 to 7 

 shields between postorbital and spiracular shields ; suboperculum much 

 larger than eye. Dorsal fin with XIV-XVIIl spines ; spines over- 

 lapping when folded down. Anal 11-15. Pectoral reaching beyond 

 vertical of first dorsal spine. 63-70 scales in a longitudinal series, 

 11-15 between occiput and first dorsal spine, 46-54 round middle of 

 body. Greyish or greenish olive above, the young with 10-13 cross-bars 

 on the back and 2 or 3 stripes along the sides of a darker shade, these 



