Description of a collection of Fishes from China, 393 



China to the Berhn Museum, it was submitted to the examina- 

 tion of M. Cuvier, and found to be the Holocentrum albo- 

 fasciatus of Lacep. It may be remarked in this place, that one 

 of my reasons for regarding the specimen here figured, t. xxio 

 f. 3. and described from Dr. Playfair's collection to be dis- 

 tinct, is, the great size of the second dorsal and anal spines. 



The collection affords a beautiful species of Clupeidce, or 

 the Herring family, which seems to have escaped the observa- 

 tion of naturalists. It is nearly allied to the genus Thryssa^ 

 Cuv. ; but is distinguished from that group by long setaceous 

 free rays, situated above the pectoral fins. This is described 

 as a new genus, Chgetomus, of which I am also acquainted 

 with a second species. 



The Chinese species is here named in honor of Dr. G. 

 R. Playfair, its discoverer, a compliment richly merited for 

 the valuable collection which we owe to his zeal and in- 

 telligence. Macrognathus undulatus is another new species 

 due to Dr. Playfair. It differs but little from the species 

 described in Buch. as M, armatus, still it is distinct in its 

 markings, as well as in having three spines in front of the 

 anal fin, while Buchanan's species has but two. Buchanan 

 was wrong in supposing the species he named armatus^ to 

 be identical with Lacepede's species of that name ; it is dis- 

 tinguished from it by having four additional spines in the 

 back, and must therefore be distinguished from it also, in 

 name, for which I propose that of Hamiltonii, 



Two species of Cobitis, or Loach, are comprised in this col- 

 lection ; both of which are quite distinct from any species of 

 that genus hitherto described. They are also quite distinct 

 from each other ; the one being remarkable for the depth of 

 the head, and small size of the pectorals, while the other 

 has the pectorals large, and the head more elongated than 

 compressed. 



The most important accessions which we owe to Dr. 

 Playfair's collection are, 



S D 



