Pimelodus. gangetic fishes. 189 



lour of the cous is not very applicable to the Cavia, (Kauya teng- 

 gara.) 



The Cavia is found in the northern rivers of Bengal, where it 

 grows to about six inches in length, and retains life long after 

 it is taken from the water. It is neither common, nor is it held 

 in peculiar esteem for eating. It is flattened before, conical be- 

 hind, and all its upper parts are scabrous from elevated spots. 

 The colours are lurid, and the back is variegated with brown 

 dots, collected into cloud-like marks, while the sides have a 

 gloss like silver, changing into the hue of copper. The belly 

 is of a dirty livid appearance. Across the tail are two trans- 

 verse bars, and on the tail fin a third, all of which have fewer 

 dots than the adjacent parts. The eyes are white. 



The head is very large, a good deal flattened, blunt, and 

 covered above with bony plates, forming various ridges. The 

 two tendrils between the nostrils are very short ; the two from 

 the upper jaw are nearly of the same length with the head, 

 the four under the chin are shorter. The mouth, placed below 

 and considerably behind the extremity of the nose, is very 

 large, and extends straight back. The lips are fleshy. Except 

 a slight roughness on the jaws there are no teeth. The nostrils 

 are nearer the jaw than the eyes, which approach each other, 

 are small, and have oblong pupils. The gill-covers are rough, 

 and expose their membranes, but these are so thick that the 

 number of rays which they contain cannot be exactly ascer- 

 tained ; each, however, has about six. There is a slit under 

 the throat. 



Between the first fin and the head the back has two bony 

 plates, of which the foremost is the largest, and behind is di- 

 vided into two. The shoidder -bones are naked, and each sends 

 a long process above the pectoral fin. The lateral line runs 



