ITNDESCRIBED REPTILES AND FISIIES. — OGILBY. 
25 
beneath the anterior third of the orbit. Opercles smooth ; sub- 
opercle moderately broad, acutely rounded behind. Toothless. 
The distance between the origin of the dorsal and the tip of the 
snout is equal to or a trifle longer than that between the same 
point and the base of the caudal ; the third ray is the longest, 
from T50 - T66 in the length of the head, and equal to the basal 
length of the fin ; the outer margin is concave : anal low, the 
longest rays a little more than the diameter of the eye : ventrals 
inserted entirely in front of the dorsal , with the outer margin 
acutely rounded, their length from 2-00 2T5 in that of the 
head; pectorals rounded, their length T50 - T60 in the same ; 
the upper basal angle vertically beneath the posterior margin of 
the opercle : caudal forked, the least height of the pedicle 
2*25 - 2*40 in the height of the body. Scales moderate, feebly 
carinated, and firmly adherent ; a patch of small scales on each 
side of the occipital depression ; no triangular scale above the 
origin of the ventrals : a series of scutes similar to those on the 
abdominal profile between the occiput and the dorsal ; behind 
that fin the profile of the back is smooth and rounded : abdominal 
scutes well developed, twenty in front and twelve to fourteen 
behind the origin of the ventrals. Gill-rakers moderately stout 
and closely set, their length about one-third of the diameter of 
the eye. 
Colors. — Pale straw with a broad silvery median band ; each 
scale above the lateral band with a crescentic series of black 
dots near the posterior margin ; snout similiarly dotted. Fins 
hyaline. 
Type . — In the Australian Museum. Reg. No. I. 3034. 
The species above described inhabits the rivers flowing into 
Port Jackson and Botany Bay ; it has been known to the writer 
for some time, but as has probably been the case with previous 
investigators of our Fish-fauna, it was set aside without examina- 
tion, under the belief that it was merely the young of the widely 
distributed C. novce-hollandim : having, however, had occasion of 
late to examine more closely our New South Wales Clupeids, the 
present species attracted a more careful investigation with the 
gratifying result given above. 
C. sprattellides is occasionally brought to market in considerable 
numbers among the prawns (Penams madeayi) from the Parra- 
matta, George’s, and Cook’s Rivers. 
The type specimens described above measure from two and 
two-thirds to three and a half inches, the latter being apparently 
the full size to which the species attains. No signs of spawning 
could be observed in the example dissected. 
The position of the ventral fins in C. sprattellides being 
apparently anomalous in the genus Clupea , and the fact that 
this character is associated with a well developed dorsal scutation 
