CoiUS. GANGETIC FISHES. 97 



prickles and twelve soft rays in the united fins of the back ; 

 with three prickles and eight soft rays in that behind the vent ; 

 and with the body clouded with irregular dark marks. 



In the ponds of the Gangetic provinces this fish is very 

 common, seldom exceeds six inches in length, is very tena- 

 cious of life, and is considered by the natives as good for eat- 

 ing. 



In proportion to its thickness, this fish is of a long form, and 

 it is high-backed, and much compressed at the sides. The gene- 

 ral colour is pale-green, with a silvery gloss, on which are scat- 

 tered many large irregular marks, of a dark colour, inclining to 

 olive. All the fins, except the pectorals, are spotted with the 

 same colour. 



The head is blunt, descends in a straight line, and is nearly 

 oval, and large, but narrow. It is covered with scales to the 

 lips, and between the eyes there runs a furrow. The mouth is 

 low, and descends backward parallel to the lower jaw, which is 

 rather the longest. The lips are thinner than in any species of 

 this genus that I have seen. The bones of the upper one ter- 

 minate very bluntly, as if cut across. On the jaws, palate, and 

 tongue, are numerous small teeth crowded together ; and inter- 

 mixed with these, in each jaw, are several sharp teeth of a 

 larger size. The tongue is sharp and free, and marked by two 

 longitudinal ridges. On each side of the palate, at its fore part, 

 there is a bone. Each gill-cover has four bony plates, of which 

 the foremost is indented on the edge, and the uppermost ends 

 in two sharp approximated points. The membranes of the gill- 

 covers are partly exposed, and each contains seven rays. The 

 bones of the gills are marked by a row of tubercles, of which 

 the upper are covered with teeth. 



The belly is straight, the bach high. Where the tail becomes 

 small, the lateral line is broken into two portions. The scales 



K 



