c 



298 gangetic fishes. Order V. 



dots. The mouth descends obliquely, and is small. The jaws 

 do not protrude in opening. The lips are fleshy, pendulous, 

 and indented on the edges, the upper one having very minute, 

 or rather no bones. The nostrils are far back, and each has on- 

 ly one aperture, covered by a membranous valve. The eyes are 

 high, and rather small, with circular pupils. The gill-covers are 

 rounded behind, smooth on the edge, contain each three plates, 

 and conceal in part their membranes. 



The ridge of the back forms an arch, rising before more sud- 

 denly than the head, and terminating near the end of the tail. 

 The fore part of the arch is blunt, the hinder part has a sharp 

 edge. The belly is nearly straight, but the tail contracts sudden- 

 ly at the fin behind the vent. The lateral line descends with a 

 slight curve from the shoulder along the middle of the side. 

 The vent is behind the middle. The body is covered with 

 large, dotted, and firmly-fixed scales, without any scale-like ap- 

 pendants above the ventral fins. 



The dorsal fin occupies the middle of the back, and slopes 

 only a little behind. The first of its rays is a half shorter than 

 the second, to which it closely adheres, and, like it, is undivided : 

 the others are branched. The pectoral fins are low, shorter than 

 the head, and sharp above, and each contains eighteen rays. 

 The ventral fins are near each other, and are about as large as 

 the pectorals : each has nine rays, of which the two first are un- 

 divided. The fin behind the vent occupies the middle of the 

 tail, and slopes much backward ; the two first of its rays resem- 

 ble those in the dorsal fin ; the others are branched. The fin 

 of the tail is divided into two bluntish lobes, of which the upper 

 is rather the longest. In both are nineteen distinct rays, be- 

 sides some short compacted ones. 



