Pimelodus. gangetic fishes. 191 



jaw. The eyes are minute and high, and have circular pupils. 

 The gill-covers have a scabrous skin, as have their membranes, 

 which, although exposed to view, are so thick that their rays 

 cannot be counted. There is no slit under the chin. 



The back slopes to the head. The belly is prominent. The 

 lateral line slopes downward, and between its commencement 

 and the back fin are four tubercles approaching to the form of 

 prickles. The vent is behind the middle. 



The edge of the back fin is indented, and its first ray is a 

 very strong prickle, covered with tubercles. The pectoral fins 

 are far forward, under the gill-covers : each has eight rays, of 

 which the first is a strong prickle, indented behind. Each 

 ventral fin has six rays. The fin behind the vent is rounded. 

 That of the tail ends in a crescent, the horns of which are 

 sharp, and nearly equal in length. 



23d Species. — Pimelodus conta. 



A Pimelodus with the tail fin divided into two unequal lobes, 

 the upper terminating in a long slender point ; with eight ten- 

 drils shorter than the head ; with an opaque brown scabrous 

 body ; with transparent spots on the fins ; with ten rays in the 

 fin behind the vent ; and with five in the foremost of the back. 



I found the Conta (Khongta) in the river Mahananda. It is 

 an ugly animal, of little or no value, which grows to from three 

 to five inches in length. It is long in proportion to its breadth, 

 tapers gradually to the end of the tail, and is scarcely compress- 

 ed. The general colour is a lurid brown, with some gloss of 

 copper. The same colour extends over the fins, but these are 

 spotted with black, and have some pellucid portions. The four 

 larger tendrils have black rings. 



The head is small, oval, sharpish, and covered above with 

 bony plates variously furrowed. The hindmost plate is very 



