Cyprinus. gangetic fishes. 309 



The head is blunt, oval, small, and smooth. From each angle 

 of the mouth are two minute tendrils. The mouth extends from 

 the extremity of the nose, descending a little backward, and is 

 small. The jaws protrude in opening, the upper one being ra- 

 ther the longest. The upper lip has a small bone at each side. 

 The palate has several longitudinal wrinkles, peculiar, so far as 

 I know, to this species. The nostrils are nearer the eyes than 

 the jaw. The eyes are of a good size, and have circular pupils. 

 Each gill-cover consists of three plates, rounded behind, and 

 conceals in part its membrane. 



The back slopes, with a slight convexity, from the commence- 

 ment of the fin to the end of the nose, and the ridge there is 

 rather sharp, The hinder part slopes with a slight concavity. 

 The belly forms an arch, which slopes suddenly at the fin be- 

 hind the vent. The lateral line bends, with a slight curvature, 

 from the shoulder. Each scale has several fine lines, radiating 

 as it were from the centre. 



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

 slopes behind : the first of its rays is a thick, short, smooth 

 bone, closely joined to the second, which is a long strong bone, 

 indented along the hinder edge ; the others are branched, and 

 the two last are near each other, so that the fin might be said 

 to have only nine rays, with the last divided to the root. The 

 pectoral fins are very little shorter than the head, and each has 

 sixteen rays, of which the first is undivided. The ventral fins 

 are as large as the pectorals ; each has nine rays, of which the 

 first is undivided. The anal fin occupies the middle of the tail, 

 and slopes backward : the three first of its rays are undivided, 

 and closely united, the second being longer than the first and 

 shorter than third ; the others are branched, the last being di- 

 vided to the root. The fin of the tail is divided into two blunt- 



