264 report — 1845. 



Fam. Scomberesocidje. 



Belone caudimacula, Cuv. Regn. An. ii. p. 285. Kuddera A., Russell, 

 176. Icon. Reeves, /3. 33 ; Hardw. Malac. 135. Chinese name, Ho tsin, 

 " Stork's bill" (Reeves, Birch) ; Hok tsam (Bridgem. Chrest. 57). 



Hab. China. Canton (Reeves). Penang, and a salt-water lake near Calcutta (Hardwicke). 

 River Brunai in Borneo. Port Essington, North Australia. 



Belone ciconia, Richardson. Icon. Reeves, 186; Hardw. Malac. 134. 



This drawing does not correspond with Russell's figure of the Wohla kuddera 175, nor with 

 the two Belones described by Ruppell in the 'Neue Wirlbethiere,' nor with figures of any other 

 species that we have met with. The two jaws are equal, or very nearly so, and when mea- 

 sured to the front of the orbit, their length is contained four times and three-quarters in the 

 whole length of the fish. The anal is long, the dorsal moderately so, and commencing over 

 the second quarter of the anal, it seems to approach a little nearer to the caudal than that fin. 

 The caudal is slightly lunate at the end with the lower lobe rather the most prominent. The 

 back is green, the sides silvery with a purplish tint. Scales are distinctly represented in the 

 green upper part of the body, which is separated from the nacry sides by a lateral line, but 

 no inferior lateral line or keel is shown in the figure. 



Hab. Chinese seas. Canton. 



Hemiramphus intermedius, Cantor, Ann. Nat. Hist. ix. p. 30. Icon. 

 Reeves, 167; Hard w. Malac. 129, 133. Chinese name, Cheung tun tsam 

 (Bridgem. Chrest. 80); "Long-headed borer" (Reeves). Bad. B. 9; 

 D.l|14; A. 1|17; C. 15|; P. 11 ; V. 1|5. (Chin. Spec.) 



This species differs at first sight from H. longirostris (Cuv. et Russell, 178), and from H. 

 brevirostris (Idem et Russ. 177), in the relative size of the lower jaw, being less than that of 

 the one and longer than that of the other. From H. gamberur (Rtipp. Neue Wirlb. 74 ; La- 

 cep. v. pi. 7. f. 2), it is distinguished by some differences in the numbers of the rays as well 

 as by the comparative length of the lower jaw. We have received specimens of intermedius 

 both from Chusan and Canton, but all of them have lost many of their scales, and also in 

 some degree their proper shape, by maceration in spirits. A section of the body has the form 

 of a thin wedge, broadest near the back, which is rounded by the swelling muscles of the 

 sides, and attenuated towards the acute belly. There is no appearance of there ever 

 having been much projection at the inferior lateral line, so as to render the section quadran- 

 gular. This line runs near the edge of the belly from the lower part of the operculum nearly 

 to the caudal fin. It is formed by a simple or in some places a forked tube on each scale. 

 The preorbitar is sub-elliptical, with an undulated disc and a minute central umbo. Its 

 anterior edge describes the quadrant of a circle ; its posterior one is much less curved. The 

 dorsal and anal are opposite to each other at their commencement, and the former reaches a 

 little nearer to the caudal, though it has fewer rays than the anal. The lower lobe of the 

 caudal is the longest, as usual. The back is greenish, the sides silvery, and there is a broad 

 lateral stripe more brilliantly silvery than the rest, which dilates between the dorsal and anal. 

 The following measurements furnish the comparative lengths of the several parts. Length from 

 the point of the upper jaw to end of caudal, 5*25 inches. From ditto to gill-opening, 0'91 

 inch. From ditto to anus, 3-38 inches. Length of upper jaw, 0*2 inch. Length from point of 

 lower jaw to end of caudal, 6-35 inches. From ditto to angle of mouth, 1*38 inch. From 

 ditto to fore-edge of orbit, 1*6 inch. From ditto to gill-opening, 2*18 inches. 



Hab. Chinese seas. Canton. Chusan. 



Exocjetus volans, Solander, MSS. Bib. Banks. Icon. Parkinson, 110. Bib. 



Banks. Bad. D. 12 ; A. 13 ; C. 15f ; P. 15 ; V. 6. All jointed. Length 



of specimen 5| inches. 



A specimen of this fish was brought from China by Sir Edward Belcher. It is probably 

 the same species with the evolans of Bloch (398) ; but in his figure the ventrals are as near 

 to the end of the snout as to the beginning of the anal, while in the Chinese specimen the 

 distance from the snout to the ventrals, when carried backwards, reaches past the middle of 

 the anal ; in other respects there appears to be little difference. The same officer brought 

 several specimens of young flying fish from the Chinese seas, evidently of the same species, 

 but none of them exceeding 2£ inches in length. All these have the profile of the face more 

 curved, with a variable degree of gibbosity of the nape. They have also two brown spots on 

 the top of the occiput, formed by a congeries of small specks. All the specimens are so much 



