Description of a collection of Fishes from China. 411 



Obs. — There are three small branchiae furnished with a sack 

 which opens over the situation of the first arch. The inter- 

 vals between the first and third arches are closed by a mem- 

 brane, in which there is merely a small hole in each space. 

 The middle arch alone has a small tuft, or gill, out side, 

 the others are smooth.* The branchiae open into a semi- 

 lunar transverse slit under the throat. Each nostril has 

 two apertures, one at the end of the snout, and the other 

 between the eyes. 



PnEUMABRANCHUS CINEREUS. t. XXV. fig. S. 



The jaws of equal length, somewhat thin and pointed, 

 with the intermaxillary teeth rather crowded at the apex, 

 general colour dark brown, somewhat bluish brown, with 

 minute spots above, and below dark bluish grey. The anus 

 is situated at the posterior third of the length. The body 

 is cylindric, the tail compressed, ending in a thin narrow 

 point with membranous margins. The membranous margin 

 of the upper edge of the tail extends two- thirds of the 

 distance to the anus, and below about one-third of that dis- 

 tance. The posterior aperture of the nostrils opens near 

 the eyes, and the anterior aperture by means of a short tube 

 on either side at the extremity of the snout. 



Habitat. — Chusan. 



• I have been indebted to Mr. H. Walker, Surgeon to the Body Guard, 

 for mentioning to me the existence of lungs in the Cuchia, before I had 

 made the observation myself. The peculiarities of the branchias to 

 •which the term lungs may be applied, were however described by J. 

 Taylor, Esq. of Dacca (as both Mr. Walker and myself were aware) 

 in his observations on the respiratory organs, and air-vessels of 

 fishes in the Gleanings in Science, vol. II. page 176, Calcutta, 1830. The 

 species to which this peculiarity belongs has been supposed to be a 

 Synbranchus, but after a careful enquiry I find, that if the Cuchia of Ben- 

 gal, and the so-called Sijnbranchi of India can be referred to any known 

 genus, it should be to that of Monopterus, of Commerson and Lacepede. 

 Mr. Swainson, with juster views of the importance of this group than 



