Description of a collection of Fishes from China. 401 



which is small, extends downwards as low as the pectorals. The 

 fin rays are, 



D. 8 : P. 12 : V. 9 : A. 7 : C. 16— with an indefinite number of short 

 bristle-points, a little more developed than usual, and gradually dimi- 

 nishing at the base of the caudal. 



The colour seems to have been greyish or olive brown above, 

 mottled about the head and fins, and with a dark transverse spot 

 at the upper base of the caudal ; the lower parts of the body white. 



Habitat. — Chusan. 



Fig. 3. A magnified representation of the mouth and cirri. 



SlLURID^. 



Of the genus Silurus as defined by Cuvier, without sensible spines 

 in the dorsal, and with teeth like those of a card in both jaws, furnish- 

 ed with a second band on the vomer, parallel to the first ; the collection 

 contains three species. 



The first of these is Bimaculatus, Bl. originally found at Tranquebar, 

 of which MM. Kuhl and Vanhasselt have described a variety found at 

 Java, in which some of the fin rays differ slightly from the Tranque- 

 bar fish. It will be seen, on comparing the following characters of 

 the specimen found at Chusan, that it diiFers slightly in the number 

 of fin and branchial rays from both the former varieties; yet the 

 species is, in my opinion, unquestionably the same. 



Silurus bimaculatus,^ Bl. variety from Chusan ; four cirri shorter 

 than the head, a fine sharp smooth spine, having a soft articulated ex- 

 tremity. 



D. 5 : P. ^3 : V. 9 : A. 65 : C. 17— Branch. 13. 



The second species differs from Silurus pabda, Buch. in 

 which the number of branchial rays are nine, while the Chi- 

 nese fish has twelve, and in the pectoral spines of the latter 

 being serrated behind, while in the Bengal fish they are 

 smooth-edged according to Buchanan. 



* With regard to this name, it may be remarked, that the three species 

 here noticed have each two black marks, as in Bloch's species, near the 

 commencement of the lateral line; and this seems to be a general charac- 

 ter of most of the Asiatic species. 



3 E 



