THE SILURIN^, OR EEL SILURES. 347 



Silurus, tlie most typical group in this sub-familyj all 

 of which are known by a single and very short dorsal 

 fin^ a very long anal fin, and a distinct caudal, either 

 rounded or lobed. We may enter the genus Silurus by 

 the Silurus garua of Dr. Hamilton, which forms the 

 type of our sub-genus Clupisoma: this singular fish 

 is almost a counterpart of Silonia, except that it has but 

 a single dorsal fin, and the muzzle is provided with 

 eight moderately long cirri. Had we not analysed this 

 group more than the others, we should certainly have 

 imagined these two singular types passed into each other; 

 and, indeed, so long as the circularity of the genera 

 Pachypterus and Ageniosus remains undetermined, there 

 is still a probability of such being the case: "yet this, 

 although it might somewhat affect the contents of those 

 two genera, would not alter this; for in its fins and cirri 

 it is so truly a Silurus, that even Dr. Hamilton refers it 

 to that genus. Following this, we place the sub-genus 

 Callichrus Ham., distinguished by all the species having 

 a forked tail. These fish, as the doctor observes, are 

 rather handsome, and have little or nothing of that lurid 

 appearance by which the neighbouring species are dis- 

 tinguished : they are all very richj fine-flavoured food ; 

 and grow to from nine to twelve inches in length : they 

 are chiefly found in the ponds and ditches of Bengal; 

 and, no doubt, many more than the five species already 

 known remain undiscovered. The caudal fin is always 

 lobed ; the sides of the body are sub-diaphanous ; the 

 head is only slightly flattened (thus presenting an affi- 

 nity, in these two last characters, to Clupisoma), the 

 mouth large, and the upper jaw much longer than the 

 lower : the eyes are small, and are on the sides, noe 

 towards the top, of the head ; while the gill membran- 

 has nine rays. Quitting these bright-coloured fishes, 

 we enter among those to which we retain the sub-ge- 

 neric name of Silurus. They are at once distinguished 

 from the last type by having the caudal fin rounded : the 

 body is much cormpressed, while the head is remarkably 

 6?epressed : the mouth is moderately large, and opens 



