308 report — 1845. 



fin lower and considerably longer. The snout is obtuse and shorter than the lower jaw, the 

 profile of the head arched. The ventrals, which are under the middle of the dorsal, are 

 equidistant from the end of the snout and base of the caudal. The point of the acute pecto- 

 rals passes beyond them and falls but a little short of the anus. None of the other Chatoessi 

 represented in Mr. Reeves's portfolio have pectorals of equal length. The truncated end of 

 the maxillary reaches as far as the anterior third of the orbit. The eye is rather large and is 

 some distance from the profile. 



The scales are silvery and show towards their bases a mixture of blackish-green, oil-green 

 and honey-yellow, the dark green predominating on the ridge of the back. Below the late- 

 ral line blue tints are intermixed with the general silvery lustre, and the honey-yellow forms 

 faint longitudinal streaks corresponding with the rows of scales. There are some bluish and 

 purple tints round the eye, and a rich orange-coloured brown on the occiput and supra-sca- 

 pular region, which gradually disappears on the shoulder. The caudal is lemon-yellow, with 

 a flesh-coloured tint at the base and blackish-gray posterior edges. The other fins are pale 

 bluish-lilac. 



Hab. China sea. 



Chatoessus chrysopterus, Richardson. Descript. of Animals, p. 200. fig. 



148. Icon. Reeves, 61 ; Hardw. Malac, 231. Chinese name, Hwang yu, 



"Yellow fish" (Reeves, Birch); Wong u hoi (Bridgem. Chrest. 91). 



Length of figure 9J inches. 



This drawing represents a fish with a higher body than C. triza, a more arched back and 

 a shorter anal. The height is equal to exactly a third of the length, including the extreme 

 tips of the acutely-forked caudal. The back is regularly and considerably arched ; the belly 

 is still more convex. The ventrals are a little before the middle, caudal excluded, and are 

 attached beneath the fore part of the dorsal. The top of the triangular pectoral falls con- 

 siderably short of the ventrals. The jaws are equal, the mouth small, and the maxillary 

 reaches only to the front of the eye, which is smaller and higher in the head than that of 

 Ch. triza. 



The scales are brightly silvery, and are shaded towards the base on the back with dark 

 leek-green. Below the middle they are sparingly shaded with pale bluish-lilac. The top of 

 the head and edges of the gill-pieces are green ; there is a prussian blue patch at the tem- 

 poral groove and some carmine tints on the snout and suboperculum. The fins are gamboge- 

 and lemon-yellow, this colour being most faint on the dorsal and ventrals. The front of the 

 dorsal and bases of the pectorals and ventrals are tinged with carmine. 



Hab. Chinese sea. 



Chatoessus maculatus, Gray, Cat. Br. Mus. Icon. Reeves, 109; Hardw. 

 Malac. 233. Chinese name, Hwang yu, " Yellow fish " (Birch, Reeves) ; 

 Wong u (Bridgem. Chrest. 87). Bad. D. 16 ; A. 28. (Spec. Camb. Ph. 

 Inst.) Length of figure 8£ inches. 



The Rev. George Vachell obtained a specimen of this fish at Canton and presented it to 

 the Cambridge Philosophical Institution. It is symmetrical in its form, the ventral and dor- 

 sal curves being nearly alike, and the height at the front of the dorsal very nearly equal to 

 one-third of the length, caudal included. The ventrals are attached before the middle, caudal 

 excluded, and under the fore-third of the dorsal. The posterior dorsal ray reaches, as in the 

 other species, to the base of the caudal. The belly is strongly serrated by seven teeth before 

 the ventrals and nineteen behind them. A notch in the upper jaw receives the pointed ex- 

 tremity of the lower one, which is scarcely shorter than the snout. The maxillary is rounded 

 at the end and reaches the middle of the eye. 



The colour of the back is pale leek-green, which soon passes into pale honey-yellow. Be- 

 low the middle the yellow gives place to pale lilac. These colours are confined to the base 

 of the scales, which are very silvery, occupying however more and more of the disc as they 

 approach the top of the back. A round black spot exists on the shoulder and is followed on 

 the flanks by five others, which diminish successively in size. The head is varied by yellow- 

 ish, brownish and crimson tints on a silvery ground. The rays of the pectoral are buff or 

 orpiment-orange, the caudal dull yellow with blackish-gray posterior edges, and the other 

 fins show a very pale bluish-gray tint. The Chinese name is the same as that of Ch. chry- 

 sopterus, which this species certainly closely resembles in form. The black spots may perhaps 

 disappear in some seasons. 



Hub. Chinese seas. 



Engraulis commersonianus, Lacepcde (Stolejihore commersonien), v. 



