AND THE ZOOLOGY OF CHINA 75 



darkish spots disposed in form of transversed streaks. An- 

 other kind of Leptobotia inhabits the Yang-tse-kiang. 



Finally here lives an Amurian pike (Esox reicherti) 

 which is but little distinguished from the European kind. 

 It is consequently more to be remarked, that in the Man- 

 churia district certain species, which widely extend in 

 Siberia, do not exist here, such as — the sterlet, Siberian 

 sturgeon, nelma, dace or bull-head, gremille; but on the 

 contrary there are many Siberian fishes. The most remark- 

 able in Manchuria are fishes of the South and Middle of 

 China and Japan — the forms of subtropical fauna. One of 

 this will be aucha or Chinese perch (Siniperca Chuatsi) 

 #: if fo (see fig. N. 3). This genus has only two represen- 

 tatives — one in Manchuria, the other in China. This fish 

 certainly has no connection with the true perch. It has a 

 body with pressed-in sides, unique dorsal fin, little scales, 

 a small head and mouth. The sides are of a greenish colour 

 with irregular black spots. Also remarkable is the fish — 

 Ophiocephalus argus ivcuyachowski $k M (see fig. 1), found 

 at Vladivostock, the typhical specimen of which is known in 

 the Amur basin and through all China. 



The genus is peculiar to central Africa, South Persia, 

 Indo- Chine, Sunde islands where there are about 25 different 

 kinds. phiocephalus is a fish with a very stretched body, 

 long, and high dorsal fin the anal fin being a little shorter. 

 On its body above and below the side line are some irregular 

 brownish spots, bordered by black lines, on the back and 

 above the head also a double range of coarse spots. This 

 fish reaches in size to 68 cm. in length. As an interesting 

 fish here is a silvery kind Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ffi* M fk 

 which attains a length of one meter and is 20 pounds in 

 weight. 



It is characterized by the oblique mouth looking up, by 

 small scales and a keel shaped belly. It inhabits the Amur 

 basin in China as far South as Foochow. The remaining 

 lands of this species are in China and Tonkin. The Amurian 

 sheat fish (Parasilurus asotus) must also be indicated with 

 the flat head and four moustaches. Besides the Amur basin 

 they inhabit China, Corea, Japan and Formosa. The other 

 5 kinds of this genus are in Himalaya, Indo-China, China, 

 Japan, Corea and Formosa. We meet here, Hemibarbus 

 labeo a fish with a stretched body, pressed-in sides and with 

 scales of middle size. Its head has a concave forehead, the 

 mouth is lower with fat lips and with single moustaches on the 

 edge. The dorsal fin is not big but sharp and has a gray 

 colour. The back is dark, the lower part light. Its habitat is 

 the Ussuri river, Hanka lake and all the Amur basin. The 



