122 VOYAGE FEOM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



with a smooth soft skm, projects only shghtly, and below the gill- 

 corer there are six rays, the last of which are hardly discernible. 



The pectoral fins are in front of the ventral fins and have 

 at their root a bony plate ; the edge slants upwards, is furrowed 

 and indented, and of a silvery colour; it is but small. The fin rays 

 are oblongs thin and lemon-yellow. The ventral fins have six 

 strong- rays. The first of them is closely connected with the 

 second, but is a little shorter than the latter, it is strong, bony 

 and ends is a point. The rest of these rays are much divided at 

 their ends and are soft and yellow. 



The dorsal fins reach almost over the whole back; they have 

 twenty-two rays, the first of these being' prickly at the end, they 

 get gradually longer and in the same manner shorter again in a 

 sort of curve. In the middle of them there is a large black spot, 

 and a smaller one just before the soft fins. These softer fins also 

 describe the same curve as the others. 



The hindmost fins consist of nine rays, the three first ones 

 are prickly. The tail is obtuse, and consists of eig^hteen broad 

 joined rays, it is of medium length and has three broad stripes 

 running down its length, edg-ed by a pale yellow margin. 



The whole body is of a white silver colour, with three dark 

 stripes running lengthwise. The lateral line is slightly curved 

 near the stomach, but is straight at the tail ; the scales are very 

 small and shiny. 



2S. — The wind continued to be unfavourable for us, and we 

 tried to reach the other side of the coast in which attempt we 

 were successful ; the western coast had higher mountains, though 

 the shore itself was flat, and we could distinctly see the shores 

 on both sides. As we came near the Eastern coast, we saw 

 much sea -weed drifting past our ship, which T could not examine 

 any closer. Before on the western side there had been many 

 shoots sprung' up from the seed of. the Bonlia drifting past our 

 ship. The Bontia however seemed to me to be slightly different 

 from the ones we had seen on the coast of Coromandel, Ceylon and 

 that of Malacca. 



27. — We lay at anchor at the same place as yesterday, and 

 could not do anything on accoimt of the strong' wind. 



29.— Tc-day we passed some time in crossing' from one side 

 of the inner bay to the other, and the nature of the different 

 things, which drifted along the coast, showed us near which coast 



