84 gangetic fishes. Order IV. 



excellent fish for the table, and possessed of great beauty. The 

 colour on the back and sides approaches to olive, and on the 

 belly is white. It has large dusky irregular marks like clouds ; 

 and besides many round well denned spots, partly black, partly 

 rust colour, are scattered on the surface. 



The head is large and wider than the body, and ends in de- 

 pressed jaws, of which the under one is the longer. The mouth 

 is very large, and descends backward in a straight line. The 

 bones of the upper lip are very blunt, as if cut transversely 

 across. In both jaws, and in the adjacent parts of the palate, 

 are many crowded sharp teeth, straight, but of unequal lengths. 

 Some of these, toward the fore part of the jaws, are consider- 

 ably longer than the others, and are bent backward. On the pa- 

 late, at the throat, there are two round bones. The openings 

 to each nostril axe both near the eyes ; the foremost being small. 

 The eyes are far forward, and are round with oblong pupils. 

 The cheek-bones end behind in a straight line, and round their 

 edges are indented with toothlets, some of which at the angle 

 are long. Each gill-cover consists of three plates, of which the 

 hindmost terminates in three broad and very strong spines. 

 The bones supporting the outer gills are covered on the out- 

 side with teeth like a comb ; those farther in are covered with 

 a row of tubercles. 



The fish in form is very thick near the shoulders, but slopes 

 toward both extremities ; and the tail is very slender ; but I 

 have omitted to state the form of its sides. 



There is properly only one back Jin, the two of which it con- 

 sists being fully united, although they may be distinguished, 

 as the first is nearly of the same height throughout, while the 

 second rises higher in form of an arch : the first of its rays is 

 undivided, and the others branched, the last being divided to 

 the root. The pectoral fins are low, short, and blunt, each con- 



