Polynemus. gangetic fishes. 229 



The Mango fish of the English is one of the most delicate 

 of those found in the Ganges, and is peculiarly excellent when 

 in spawn, which happens in the end of spring and commence- 

 ment of the rainy season, at the time when the Mango fruit is 

 most abundant, from which circumstance the name is proba- 

 bly derived. I have, I think, observed three species included 

 under this name, and Dr Russell (Indian Fishes, Vol. II. No. 

 185) describes a fourth; but all have exactly the same quali- 

 ties and manners, nor am I sure, that the slight differences in 

 the number of rays, which I observed, may not be accidental 

 varieties, rather marking individual than specific difference. 

 The variety of colour, too, may not be a specific difference, but 

 may merely be owing to the difference of season, those that I 

 observed in spawning season having been wholly of a bright 

 golden colour, while those seen at other seasons were green 

 and silver. 



Dr Russell, as above quoted, considered his Tupsee mutchee 

 as the same with the Polynemus paradiseus, nor can I take upon 

 myself to say, that this may not be the case ; but, although the 

 accounts of the Polynemus paradiseus, which I have seen, are 

 imperfect, I can venture to assert, that it is quite different 

 from any Mango fish that I have observed in the Ganges. 



In the figure given by Ronnaterre, (Tabl. Encycl. page 183, 

 PI. LXXIV. Fig, 308,) the Polynemus paradiseus is represented 

 with filaments under the pectoral fin, which do not reach to 

 the end of the tail fin ; while in all our Mango fishes, the long- 

 est of these filaments is more than double that length. The 

 colour of the fish, described by Ronnaterre, is golden, and the 

 detached filament next the pectoral fin is the longest. He 

 says, that it is found in the seas of the Indies ; but, by this, he 

 probably means the West Indies, as La Cepede and Rloch say, 



