276 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



In the Bichir, however, it is only about 2J times the same 

 proportional distance of the depth of the body to the 

 length from the snout. In the P. Enclliclieri it is ap- 

 parently about 2f times the length ; and in the P. senegalus 

 it is about the same as the last ; in the P.palmas, however, 

 it is nearly 4 times as much, showing a greater approxima- 

 tion to the Calabar fish. These measurements of the species 

 of Polypterus can, however, only be taken as an approxi- 

 mation to the truth, as they have been copied from the 

 published figures of the fish, which may not be exactly cor- 

 rect ; still there can be no doubt of the great difference 

 in shape between them and this new Calabar fish. 



Unfortunately, from the imperfect state of these Calabar 

 fish, I am unable to carry out the comparison between them 

 in other respects. One thing, however, may be specially 

 noticed, that these fish appear to want the ventral fins. 

 The bodies of these specimens have been torn across, appa- 

 rently very near, or close to the anal openings, yet they 

 show no traces of anything like ventral fins ; and these fins 

 seem to be situated considerably in advance of the anus in 

 all the species of Polypterus. 



From the imperfect state of the fish, however, the appa- 

 rent absence of the ventral fins may be considered as still 

 not quite determined. I trust, however, to get perfect 

 specimens, so as to be able to settle this point at an early 

 period, when I shall give a more detailed account of this 

 very curious fish. 



General Measurements of the Fish. 

 Of the two fishes exhibited 5 one is rather larger than the 

 other. In the larger fish, the head measures about | of an 

 inch from the point of the snout to the extremity of the 

 operculum, by rather more than \ of an inch in breadth 

 across the operculum, and about f of an inch in its greatest 

 depth. 



The entire length of the fish, to the extremity of its im- 

 perfect body, measures 9J inches, and 4f inches from the 

 point of the snout to insertion of the first dorsal finlet ; 

 the second finlet is \ an inch distant from the first, the 



