12 TELEOSTEI. ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



The earliest account of the habits of this species is in the ' Philo- 

 sophical Transactions,' vol. liv, p. 89, and is contained in a letter 

 from J. A. Schlosser. In it he tells us how Governor Hommell found 

 that this fish frequented the shores and sides of the sea and rivers in 

 search of food, and when it saw a fly sitting on the plants that grow 

 in shallow water it swam on to within a distance of 4, 5, or 6 feet, 

 and with surprising dexterity ejected out of its tubular mouth a 

 single drop of water, which never failed to strike the fly into the 

 sea, where it was seized by the fish. He kept some of these fishes 

 in tubs of water, and saw them knock flies into the water even 

 under these circumstances. He sent an example to the Amsterdam 

 Museum, and Bleeker ascertained that this species was referred to. 

 J. Mitchell, Esq., in the ' Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,' 

 April to September, 1828, p. 162, also recounts how he similarly 

 witnessed this fish thus exercising itself when kept in a pond near 

 Batavia by a Japanese chief. See also a paper on the " Asiatic- 

 Blowpipe Fishes," Zoologist, ser. 3, vol. v. 1881, pp. 91-96. 



3. Genus HENIOCHUS, Cuv. & Val. 

 Syn, Taurichthys, Cuv. & Val. ; Diphreutes, Cantor. 



Branchiostegals five; pseudobrauchise. Body elevated and 

 strongly compressed ; mouth short, or of moderate length. Teeth 

 villiform, none on the palate. A single dorsal fin, with from 11 to 

 13 spines, the 4th of which is elongated and filiform ; anal with 3. 

 Air-bladder present. Pyloric appendages few. 



Geographical Distribution. Seas of India to Polynesia, &c. 



742. (1.) Heniochus inacrolepidotus . (Fig. 3.) 



Chsetodon macrolepidotus, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 464. 



Heniochus macrolepidotus, Day, Fish. India, p. 110, pi. xxviii, tig. 3 



(see synon.). 

 Purroamee, Mai. ; Chuddukun, Tarn. ; Pak-no-dah, Andam. 



D.I 1-12/24-25. A.3/17-18. L.1.52. L.tr.9/22. Cec.pyl.6.Vert.lO/14. 



Length of head 4, height of body 1| in the total length. Eyes 

 diameter from 3 to 3| in length of head, 1| diam. from end of 

 snout, and nearly 1 apart. Fins dorsal spines rather strong, the 

 fourth having a filamentous prolongation reaching to the caudal fin 

 or even beyond, the fifth is also somewhat elongated ; 2nd and 3rd 

 anal spines of about equal length and strength ; caudal cut nearly 

 square. Colour pearly white, with a dark purplish band over 

 snout, another over eyes, a broad one from 3 first dorsal spines 

 across side, including ventral fin and extending to the anal ; the 

 hinder band commences on the dorsal, extending from 5th to 7th 

 spine, curves downwards, and ends in the posterior third of the 



