256 gangetic fishes. Order V. 



The body is covered with large dotted scales, adhering firm- 

 ly. The back is less prominent than the belly , which slopes 

 rather suddenly at the fin behind the vent, and is blunt, and 

 quite entire on the edge before the vent. The lateral line is 

 above the middle, and is rather curved, with the concavity up- 

 ward. The vent is behind the middle. Above each pectoral 

 and ventral fin is a scale-like appendant. 



The back fin is rather behind the middle, and slopes back- 

 ward, having nineteen rays, of which the first five are undivid- 

 ed, and lengthen gradually from the first, which is very short : 

 the next thirteen are branched, and the last is twice as long as 

 any of the others, undivided, jointed, and flat, being shaped 

 like the head of a narrow lance. The pectoral fins are low, 

 and are shorter than the head : each contains fifteen rays, of 

 which the first is undivided, and the others branched. The 

 ventral fins are short, and approximated, and each contains one 

 undivided and nine branched rays. The fin behind the vent 

 is crescent-shaped, and contains twenty- six rays, of which the 

 six first are undivided, and lengthen gradually from the fore- 

 most, which is very short ; the others are branched, and the 

 last split to the root. The fin of the tail is deeply divided in- 

 to two sharp lobes, of which the upper is the longest. It con- 

 tains nineteen distinct rays, besides some small compacted 

 ones at each side. 



N. B. — Perhaps the third species of the following genus 

 should rather have been placed here ? 



XX. Genus. — Cyprinus. 



Fishes of the fifth order, with one back fin, which has rays, 



but both this and the pectoral fins are unarmed ; with no 



teeth in either jaw ; with the edge of the visceral cavity blunt, 



in part at least ; and with four tendrils, at the utmost, near 



