Cyprinus. gangetic fishes. 281 



ing ; the upper is rather the longest. The lips are fleshy. The 

 nostrils are near the middle, between the eye and jaw, and each 

 has only one aperture, which is large and circular. The eyes 

 are about the middle of the head, large and convex, with the 

 longest diameter of their pupils vertical. Each gill-cover con- 

 tains three plates, and is rounded behind. It exposes to view 

 its membrane, which is thick. 



The body is covered with adhesive scales, which, on the up- 

 per parts, are oblong and dotted, and on the belly small. Above 

 each ventral fin is a scale-like appendant. The back slopes con- 

 siderably from the commencement of the fin, and its edge is 

 convex. The belly forms an arch. The lateral line runs straight 

 along the upper part of the side. 



The first ray of the dorsal fin is very short, and is closely 

 united with the two next, which, like it, are undivided : the 

 remaining eight are branched. The pectoral fins are shorter 

 than the head, with each seventeen rays. The ventral fins are 

 of about the same size with the pectorals, do not reach the 

 vent, and do not stand near one another : the first ray of each 

 is undivided. The anal fin is near the vent, and slopes back- 

 ward : its three first rays are undivided, and closely connected, 

 and the others are branched, the last of them being divided to 

 the root. The tail fin ends in a crescent, and contains nine- 

 teen distinct rays, besides some short compacted ones on each 

 side. 



23d Species. — Cyprinus elanga. 

 A Cyprinus of the Bangana kind, with sometimes two ten- 

 drils ; with nine rays in the fin of the back, and eight in that 

 behind the vent ; and with scarcely any lips. 



The Elanga is another beautiful fish pretty common in the 

 rivers and ponds of Bengal, and in form has a considerable re- 



if n 



