FAMILY, XI-P0LYNEMIDJ3. 179 



longest, greatly exceeding the length of the head almost extending to the anal fin," (p. 33), considers his fish 

 identical "with P. hexanemus, wherein some of them reach the caudal fin. 



Habitat. — Seas of India and Mauritius. The specimen, which is figured life-size, is from Madras. 



6. Polynemus Indicus. 



Polynemus maga-booshee, Russell, ii, p. 68, pi. 184. 



Polynemus Indicus, Shaw, Zool. v, p. 155 ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 234 ; McClell. Cal. J. N. H. iii, 

 p. 179,* pi. vi ; Cantor, Catal. p. 29; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 326 ; Day, Fishes of Malabar, p. 60 ; Kner,f Novara 

 Fische, p. 137. 



Polynemus sele, Ham. Buch. Fish. Ganges, pp. 226, 381 ; McClelland, Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist, iii, p. 181. 



Polynemus uronemus, Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 385. 



Polynemus plebeius and gelatinosus, McClelland, C. J. N. H. iii, pp. 179, 181. 



Tahlun-kala, Tarn. : Yeta, Mai. : Dara, Bombay : Bhat. Mahr. : Lukwah, Arrac. : Katha or Ka-hu-yan, 

 Burin. : Kwey-yeng, Tavoy. 



B. vii, D. 8 | Ta-i-ra P. 15 + v, V. 1/5, A. Tlcf,-, C. 17, L. 1. 70-75, L. tr. 7/13, Vert. 5/19, Case. pyl. many. 



Length of head 4j to 4|, of pectoral 1/6 to 2/13, of caudal 1/4, height of body 1/6 of the total length 

 excluding the filamentous prolongation of the tail. Eyes — diameter 1/7 of length of head, 1 to \\ diameters 

 from end of snout, and 2 apart. Height of head equals 2/3, and its width 2/5 of its length. The maxilla 

 reaches to far behind the orbit. Preopercle with a rounded and produced angle, its posterior margin mode- 

 rately serrated, and having a strong tooth above its angle. Interorbital space rather flat. Teeth — villiform in the 

 jaws, in a somewhat semilunar band on the vomer, and in a wide cuneiform band broadest anteriorly on the 

 palatines, the last being emarginate internally about its centre. Fins — spines of first dorsal weak, the third 

 having rather a filamentous prolongation, the fin one-third, higher than long, second dorsal highest in front 

 where it equals the anal and is one-third higher than its base is long : upper edge of the fin concave. Pectoral 

 with its rays branched, having five articulated free rays, the upper of which is the longest reaching nearly to 

 the anal, which latter fin extends posteriorly some distance behind the vertical from the end of the second dorsal, 

 its lower edge is concave. The distance between the bases of the ventral and anal fins is longer than the head. 

 Caudal deeply lunated having pointed lobes which usually have filamentous terminations, the lower being mostly 

 the longer. Free portion of the tail in its least depth equal to 2/5 of the length of the head. Air-vessel — oval 

 and thick, occupying the entire length of the abdomen and posteriorly prolonged amongst the caudal muscles. 

 It adheres to the vertebra? from the third to the seventh, whilst from either side towards the ventral surface it 

 has from 28 to 35 appendages. Lateral-line — continued along the lower caudal lobe almost to its end. Vertical 

 fins rather densely scaled. Colours — back purplish-black, abdomen silvery- white,, dashed with gold. First and 

 second dorsals also anal stained with black, as is likewise the lower half of the opercle. Caudal with many 

 black points. 



Habitat. — Seas of India to the Malay Archipelago and Australia. It attains 4 feet in length, but is rarely 

 above 201bs weight. A large fish yields about two ounces of rough isinglass. The largest specimens appear to 

 be captured in the embouchures of large rivers : they take a bait freely. 



7. Polynemus plebeius 



Brouss. Ich. fasc. i, t. viii ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1401 ; Bloch. t. cccc ; Bl. Schn. p. 17 ; Shaw, Zool. v, pi. exxr ; 

 Cuv. and Val. iii, p. 380 ; Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon, p. 29, t. xi, fig. 1 ; Bleeker, Perc. p. 58 ; Richards. 

 An. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842, p. 210 ; McClell. Cal. Journ. Nat. Hist, iii, p. 185 ; Cantor, Catal. p. 27 ; Giinther, 

 Catal. ii, p. 329. 



Polynemus lineatus, Lacep. v. pi. 13, f. 2, p. 410; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 327; Kner, Novara Fische, 

 p. 137. 



Polynemus tmniatus, Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 526. 



Trichidion plebejus, Bleeker, Fish. Madagascar, p. 79. 



B. vii, D. 8 | J,, P. 17 + v, V. 1/5, A. 2 f^, C. 17, L. 1. 60-65, L. tr. 7-8/13, Cebc. pyl. many. 



Length of head 2/9, of caudal 3/11, height of body 1/5 of the total length. Eyes — diameter 3f to 4J 

 in the length of head, 1/2 to 3/4 of a diameter from end of snout, and 1 to 1J apart. Interorbital space rather 

 convex. Height of the head equals its length excluding the snout, its width is not 1/2 its length. The maxilla 

 reaches to about 1 diameter behind the posterior edge of the eye. Angle of preopercle rounded and produced ; 

 its vertical limb rather coarsely serrated and most so above the angle. Teeth — villiform. Fins — third dorsal spine 

 with rather a filamentous prolongation and equal to 3/4 of the height of the body, the length of the base of the 

 fin equals rather above 2/3 of its height. Second dorsal rather higher anteriorly than the first or than the anal, 

 its upper edge deeply concave. Pectoral rays unbranched, its length equals 3/4 the height of the body, of its 

 five free-rays the superior reaches rather beyond the ventral. Ventral reaches the vent, the distance between its 



* McClelland observes (C. J. N. H. iii, p. 1 73) that " at Scinde (where it proves, as originally suggested by us. to be the source 

 of the cod-sounds alluded to as an article of export from Kurrachee) it is called seer." However the Kurrachee fish is a Scicenoid (see 

 p. 187) and not one of this family. See also paper by Mr. O. Reilly, 1. c. ii, p. 450, and by Captain Bogle, ii, p. 615. 



t Kner observes of Russell's figure " nicht gut." Cantor however more justly remarks that it was in his time "the only 

 correct figure." 



