FAMILY, XIX— SCOMBEIMJ. 251 



B. vi, D. 8-10 | ^ + v-vi, P. 21, V. 1/5, A. ^ + v-vi, C. 24, L, 1. 130 to 150, L. tr. 10/28, Vert. 13/16. 



Length, of head 3| to 4j, of caudal 4f to 5, height of body 4 to 4f in the total length. Eye — with a broad 

 anterior and posterior adipose lid extending 1/3 across the eye. Diameter of eye 4 to 4j in length of head, 1 to 

 H diameters from end of snout, and also apart. Lower jaw slightly the longer, cleft of mouth deep, the maxilla 

 reaches to below the hind edge of the eye. Length of preorbital 1/2 that of the head, its greatest depth equals 

 half the diameter of the eye. Interorbital space flat. Teeth — minute* in both jaws, none on vomer or palate. 

 Fins — dorsal spines weak and receivable into a groove, the second to the eighth subequal and about 1/2 the 

 height of the body, posteriorly they rapidly decrease in length. The distance between the two dorsal fins equals 

 half the length of the base of the latter, the upper edge of which last is concave. Finlets commence just behind 

 the fin and are opposite to and similar to those behind the anal. Pectoral short, nearly equalling half the length 

 of the head. Caudal with deeply pointed lobes. Scales — smaller above than below the lateral-line, and largest 

 just beneath the pectoral fin : the first few rows beneath the lateral-line are parallel with it, those below the 

 pectoral are irregularly concave. Minute scales on second dorsal and anal fins. Lateral-line — very slightly 

 curved. Air-vessel — present. Pseudobranchiaz — largely developed. Colours — back greenish, sides and abdomen 

 iridescent, a row of sixteen spots along the summit of the back, close to the base of the dorsal fin : summit of 

 head spotted : sides shot with bluish-purple. Dorsal fins yellowish, tipped with black : caudal bright yellow, 

 stained with black at its extremity. Pectoral bright yellow, with a dark mark on the body below it which shows 

 through the fin : ventral and anal finely dotted with black, but which fades soon after death, when all the shot 

 colours also disappear, and it becomes of a dull green with the abdomen of a lighter colour. Posterior edge of 

 caudal sometimes blackish with a white outer margin. In large specimens the colours differ, there are from five 

 to eight dark longitudinal bands along the back and upper half of the body, the superior of which is occasionally 

 broken up into spots. There are usually two golden bands below the lateral-line, and one along its course. In 

 this stage it appears to closely resemble the description of S. loo,f C.Y. viii, p. 52, which is said to grow to a 

 larger size than 8. hanagurta, and to be destitute of teeth. Gunther observes of S. Moluccensis, Bleeke,r, that 

 " this species is probably identical with S. loo, C.V." 



Habitat. — Red Sea, through those of India to the Malay Archipelago. Along the coasts of India it is 

 very rarely seen above 10 inches in length, but at the Andamans I obtained what appeared to be a distinct species 

 a foot long, and differently coloured as described above. This fish I have captured at Madras, with fully developed 

 ova in March. In Malabar it is very common throughout the cold season, and is extensively salted and dried. 

 Although good eating, it is seldom brought to the table of Europeans, as it rapidly taints, and if eaten in that 

 state gives rise to visceral irritation. Fig. 3 is from a Sind specimen 6i inches long : fig. 4 is from a Madras 

 specimen 8 inches long : and fig. 5 from an Andamanese one 12 inches in length. 



2. Scomber brachysoma. 

 ? Scomber brachysoma, Bleeker, Makr. p. 356 ; Gunther, Catal. ii, p. 361. 

 B. vii, D. 10 | JL + v, P. 22, V. 1/5, A. ^ + v, C. 21, L. 1. 135, L. tr. 13/. 



Length of head 3f , of caudal h\, height of body 3f in the total length. Eyes — with a broad anterior and 

 posterior adipose Hd, diameter of eye 4| in length of head, If diameters from end of snout, and 1J apart. 

 Greatest width of head 2| in its length. Lower jaw slightly the longer : cleft of mouth deep, the maxilla 

 reaches to below the hind edge of the eye. Length of preorbital 4/7 of that of the head, its greatest 

 depth equalling 2/3 of that of the orbit. Hind edge of subopercle is vertically behmd the level of the hind edge 

 of the opercle. Teeth — -minute in both jaws, none on vomer or palate. Fins — dorsal spines weak and receivable 

 into a groove, the second and third the highest and rather above 1/2 that of the body, the upper edge of second 

 dorsal fin concave, finlets commence just behind the fin and are opposite to and similar to those behind the anal. 

 Pectoral half as long as the head. Caudal with deeply pointed lobes. Colours — similar to S. microlepidotus, 

 except that there are two shining light spots above and behind either eye, and the spinous dorsal is posteriorly 

 edged with black. 



The height of the body in S. brachysoma, Bleeker, is said to be a little above three times in the total 

 length. In the single specimen (if identical) from the Andaman islands it is 3f. 



Habitat. — The specimen described is 7|- inches long and from the Andamans. 



Genus, 2 — Thymus, Cuv. and Vol. 

 Orcynus, Cuv. ; Grammatorcynus, Gill. 



Branchiostegals seven: pseudobranchice. Body oblong, somewhat compressed. Cleft of mouth deep. Small 

 teeth on the jaws, vomer, and palatine bones. Two dorsal fins, the spines weak, finlets behind, the soft dorsal and anal. 

 Scales small : those in the anterior portion of the body form a hind of corselet. Lateral-line unarmed, a longitudinal 

 heel along either side of the free portion of the tail. Air-vessel, when present, simple. Pyloric appendages numerous. 



Geographical distribution — the " tunny fishes" are found from the Bed Sea, throughout those of India to 

 the Malay Archipelago and beyond. Also in most open tropical and temperate seas. They are very voracious, 

 and may often be observed in schools pursuing theExoceti, " flying fishes," or Clupeidoz as " sardines." As food 



* 'Teeth in the tipper jaw more or less disappear with age, except at the symphysis, where they are usually persistent, 

 f Steind. I. c. considers 8- microlepidotus as the young of S. loo. 



2 K 2 



