148 



On the Fresh Water 



[No. 34, 



in streams and rivers in Malabar. It grows to the length of 18 inches 

 and upwards, and is considered good eating. 



Col. Sykes has in his list a MastacemUus armatus of which he 

 says: " Fins of the tail, back, and vent united, with 39 to 40 short 

 sharp bony spines along the back and two behind the vent. This fish 

 has not the exact generic characters of Macrognathus, Mastacemblus, 

 or Notacanthus, and might probably constitute a genus between the 

 two last." 



Fam. GoBiD^. 



Head large ; ventral fins generally united ; anterior dorsal rays 

 slender, flexible. 



Gen. Gohius. 



Caudal fin rounded or lanceolate ; dorsal fins two ; lower jaw long- 

 est. 



Gohius hoMus. C. V. 



Head about a quarter of the total length, broad ; muzzle obtuse ; 

 eyes approximated ; profile of head almost on a line with that of back; 

 D. 6 — A. 1 of a dusky greenish fulvous tinge, with large wavy spots 

 on the back and sides ; caudal and second dorsal spotted, reaches 8 

 or 9 inches in length. 



Very common in tanks, rivers, and ditches throughout the south 

 of India. It is a sluggish fish keeping to the bottom ; and very vo- 

 racious. When it moves it does so close to the ground, generally 

 raising a cloud of mud about it, which conceals its situation. It is 

 called Baligedda by the Southern Telingas, and Koha in the north, 

 according to Russell, 



Gohius neglectus. (New Species.) 



JBullee Iwrah, Russell pi. 53 ? but not G. liusselii, C. V. . 



Profile of head sloping from the eye to muzzle. Head a quarter 

 of total length; not so broad as in the last one ; eye one-fifth of length 

 of head, and distant barely one diameter from each other; scales 

 small, about 50 along the body. D. it. A. 10 or 11. 



Until I had actually compared my fish with the ample description 

 in Cuvier, I had no doubt of my fish being the G. Russelii, to which 

 he refers Russell's figure ; but there are too many points of diff'er- 

 ence to allow of this. In G. Russelii 'the eyes small and distant, 

 their diameter is one-eighth the length of the head, and they are dis- 



