378 Notes on the Fauna of the Nicobar Islands. [No. 173. 



Pisces. 



The marine Zoology of the Nicobars being properly that of the Bay 

 of Bengal, it would scarcely be worth while here to supply a catalogue of 

 well known inhabitants of the Bay, even if I possessed sufficient materials 

 for the task. The freshwater species would possess more interest in the 

 present instance : and of those I have not seen any, either vertebrate or 

 invertebrate, or any land Mollusca. Capt. Lewis, on nearing the Islands, 

 took a flying fish, which is Exoccetus Commersoni ,• and in a native hut 

 he found a rudely prepared skin of Batistes conspicillum, Schn. (B. 

 bicolor, Shaw^ ; he obtained also a fresh specimen of B. rectangulus, 

 Schn. (v. medinilla, Quoy and Gaymard, and fasciatus of Shaw) ; also a 

 beautiful wholly green Parrot- fish, allied to Scams gibbus, Ruppell, 

 Cuv. and Val. Hist. Poiss. XIV, 231, upon which Mr. Swainson founds 

 his Chlorurus, ' History of Fishes, &c.' II, 227 (in Lardner's Cyclopaedia). 

 Capt. Lewis brought also a few specimens, chiefly small fry, from the 

 myriads which, (like the Scarus last mentioned,) resort to the coral-beds : 

 and among these the Dascyllus aruanus, (L.), Cuv. and Val. V, 325, 

 would seem to be particularly common. 



Lastly, he procured three species of saltwater Eels, which I have 

 submitted to the inspection of Dr. M'Clelland, whose valuable labours on 

 the very difficult group of apodal fishes require no eulogy from me ; 

 and that gentleman has favoured me with the following result of his 

 examination of them : — 



" Two of them are known species, I think ; namely, Dalophis geome- 

 trica, (Ruppell), 'Fishes of Northern Africa/ pi. XXX, fig. 3, and Cal. 

 Journ. Nat. Hist. V, 213, — and Thcerodontis reticulata, M'Clelland, 

 C. /. N. H., V, 216, and pi. VII, fig. 1. The third is, I think, a new 

 species, of which the following will be a sufficient description. 



" Thterodontis maculata, M'Clelland. Two rows of distinct dark spots 

 on either side, of an oval or somewhat oblong rounded form, and placed 

 transversely, the rows extending from the head to the caudal extremity ; 

 also a row of more elongated spots on either side of the dorsal and anal 

 fins, parallel with the rays. — Obs. This species bears some resemblance 

 to Dalophis tigrina, v. Murcena tigrina of Ruppell, ' Fishes of N. Africa,' 

 pi. XXX, fig. 2 ; but is more robust, and the spots are without an areola 

 as in that species, and differently placed." 



