402 Description of a collection of Fishes from China. 



The following are the characters of the species in ques- 

 tion t — 



SlLURUS SINENSIS. 



Four cirri, the two on the upper jaw are as long as the 

 head, the two lower cirri are very small. The pectorals 

 preceded by a slender spine on either side, about half the 

 length of the fin. The spine has a few distant prickles on 

 the hinder margin towards the point. The following are 

 the fin rays : 



D. 4 : P. 4 : V. 8: A. 54: C. 18.— Branchial rays 12. 



The third species in Dr. Playfair's collection from Chu- 

 san, I consider to be the same with that found by M. Dus- 

 sumier in Mysore ; though the latter is said to have thirteen, 

 while in the former I found only twelve branchial rays. 



Having no doubt as to the Mysore and Chinese speci- 

 mens being one species, it can no longer be proper to retain 

 the local name bestowed on the former in the Hist. Nat. 

 des Poissons.^ Indeed I conceive the Silurus mysoricus of 

 MM. Cuvier and Valenciennes, to be the Silurus duda of 

 Buchanan. The following are the characters of this species 

 as exhibited by the specimen in Dr. Playfair's collection 

 from China. 



Silurus duda, Buch. 



Silurus myHoricus^ Cuv. et Val. 



Four cirri, the two upper cirri reaching to the end of the 

 pectorals, the lower very small. Pectoral spine smooth and 

 slender. 



D. 4: P. i : V. 8: A. 76: c. 17.— Branchial rays 12. 

 Habitat. — Bengal, Mysore, and China. 



* Par MM. Cuvier et Vale'nciennes, vol. xiv. p. 364. 



