ON THE ICHTHYOLOGY OF THE SEAS OF CHINA AND JAPAN. 207 



Bad. B. 4; D. 6 41 ; A. 40 ; C. 17. (Spec. Mus. Haslar.) 



D. 6 42 ; A 42 ; C. 17. (Spec. Mus. Brit.) 



D. 6 46; A. 46; C. 17. (Spec. Mus. Carab.) 



B. 4 ; D. 6 49 ; A. l|45 ; C. 17. (Hist, des Pois.) 



The fin-rays of this fish when shrivelled in spirits are counted with difficulty, but after 

 much pains in examining a considerable number of specimens, I find the above variations with- 

 out any other marked difference in form to indicate a plurality of species. Chinese exam- 

 ples have been brought to this country by John Reeves, Esq., Commander Dawkins, R.N., Sir 

 Edward Belcher, Sir Everard Home, and the Rev. George Vachell. 



Hab. The Indian ocean and China seas. (Hong Kong, Macao, Chusan, and Woosung at 

 the mouth of the Yang tse kiang). 



Amblyopus rugosus, Richardson. Icon. Reeves, (3. 7 ; Hardw. Acanth. 

 282. Chinese name, Shay king, " Warp snake" (Reeves, who states that 

 king signifies the warp of a web); She kang (Bridgem. Chrest. 231). 

 Bad. D. 6|39 ; A. 40 ; C. 17 ; P. 17 ; V. l|5-l|5, united. 



Two Chinese species of this genus have been named by ichthyologists. One, the Tcenioide 

 hermannien of Lacepede, was originally described from a Chinese painting, and is most pro- 

 bably the Shay king of Mr. Reeves's portfolio, but as the specific name has been appropriated 

 in the * Histoire des Poissons ' to an Indian fish, which is certainly distinct if Hamilton Bu- 

 chanan's figure 9, pi. 5, be correct, confusion will be best avoided by giving it another name. 

 Three specimens, brought from Macao by the Rev. George Vachell, exist in the museum of the 

 Cambridge Philosophical Society, which are remarkable for the sharply-elevated, crenated, 

 follicular ridges on the face and lower jaw. Four of these ridges radiate from the eye as a 

 centre, and five diverge from a spot on the cheek. These are connected by longitudinal ridges, 

 and there are several less prominent and more distinctly porous ones on the gill-pieces. The 

 lower jaw is crossed transversely by short ridges as prominent as those on the face. Neither 

 from the figures nor descriptions of other species do we learn that they have facial ridges ap- 

 proaching to these in distinctness. The upper jaw shows about fourteen more or less acute com- 

 pressed teeth in its circumference. The lower jaw is armed by about six teeth longer than the 

 upper ones, and in both jaws there are several rows of much smaller, crowded, acute teeth, 

 well-separated from the outer ones. The head is contained 7§ times in the total length, the 

 vent is rather behind the anterior third, and the caudal fin forms a ninth of the whole length. 

 The dorsal fin is somewhat highest about the middle of the tail, where it rather exceeds half 

 the height, and the anal, in which no spine could be detected, is half as high as the dorsal. 

 The fins are fleshy, so that the rays are not to be counted without difficulty. Mr. Vachell's 

 specimens and Mr. Reeves's figure have a contraction at the junction of the vertical fins, as if a 

 string had been tied tightly round them, and it is probable that they are so usually carried by 

 the fishermen. Ventrals spoon-shaped, with short stout spines. Scales very minute, deeply 

 imbedded and distant from each other. Length, total 6*25 inches; of which the distance between 

 mouth and anus is 2*38 inches, and the length of caudal 0*72 inch. Another specimen mea- 

 sures 8f inches, and a third 3£ inches. 



Hab. Macao. 



Amblyopus anguillaris, Lin. ? ( Gobius). Bad. D. 6|39 ; A. 37 vel 38 ; 

 C. 17*. 



Two specimens in the Cambridge Philosophical Society's museum, brought from Macao by 

 the Rev. George Vachell, agree tolerably with the short characters given by Linnaeus of his 

 anguillaris, received from the same quarter. As compared with other Amblyopi, indeed the 

 pectoral fins could not be said to be " valde parvce" but they may be so described in refer- 

 ence to the Gobies, with which Linnaeus grouped this fish. The difference in the enumeration 

 of the rays of the dorsal and anal will be lessened, if instead of twelve rays given to the caudal in 

 the ' Systema Naturae,' we reckon seventeen. This species is whitish or colourless in spirits, with 

 translucent integuments, permitting the contents of the belly to shine through, and the fine mem- 

 branes are more delicate, so that the rays can be more readily seen. The minute black eyes 

 are easily seen on the white head. The caudal is larger and more lanceolate than in rugosus, 

 and the pectorals longer and more acute. The porous lines on the face are scarcely elevated, 



* There are either several species of Amblyopus in the Chinese waters, or the numbers of the 

 rays differ in the same species. In the ' Descriptions of Animals,' which we already quoted, 

 f. 15 represents an Amblyopus, which Broussonnet has considered as the anguillaris of 

 Linnaeus. The author enumerates the rays as D. 47 ; A. 42 ; P. 8 ; V. 6 ; and says that the 

 fish dwells in the muddy banks of the river at Canton, and is eaten by the natives. 



