248 



INDIAN CYPRINIDiE. 



being placed on the upper surface of the head as in Platycara, are situated 

 on its edges ; the mouth is remarkably small, placed far behind the long 

 and thin muzzle, without any appearance of cirri as in the Loaches, to which 

 Buchanan supposed them to bear a resemblance. This genus which appears 

 to be the suctorial type, I propose to name Psilorhyiichus.*' The peculiarities 

 just noticed, as well as the position of the eyes which are far back in the 

 head as we see in the Moles, Ant-eaters, and other analogous types among 

 quadrupeds, together with their well formed and fully developed fins, 

 indicative of powers of rapid motion, such as distinguishes the Humming- 

 birds, Cinnyris, Waders, and other suctorial types in the same class. Unfortu- 

 nately we are not acquainted with the habits of the two interesting species 

 under consideration, farther than that they were obtained by Buchanan in 

 the northern parts of Bengal, to which they have been probably swept from 

 the mountains. The information to be derived from their intestines is 

 however of the less importance as affecting their type, as they would be 

 equally suctorial whether they derived their food from the juices of plants 

 or from shell-fish or ova. 



47. It remains to notice the analogical relations of the Loaches, an 

 exceedingly numerous group in India, many species of which are common 

 in every pond throughout Bengal and Assam. In these fishes we shall find 

 the characters of rasorial birds as well as qviadrupeds so strongly depicted 

 as to leave no doubt of their forming an equivalent type among Cyprinidce. 



When noticing the difference between the true Loaches {Cobitis) and 

 SchisturcB, I omitted to mention that in the dissections of five species of the 

 former — all I have had an opportunity of examining, I could find no natatory 



* From psilo thin or attenuated, and rytichiis a snout or beak. 



