52 
FISHES. 
fishes were observed. Among these were a species oiLates, Cuv.?; two species of Serra* 
nus, Cuv.; theMee-buen, allied to Serr. Merra, Cuv. and Val., “spotted with dark brown, 
rounded, or slightly angular patches, and having the interstices white and the Akasha, 
evidently nearly related to the Serr. marginalis and oceanicus, Cuv. and Val.; its colour 
is described as “ reddish-brown, the upper part being marked with lighter bands ; the 
tip of the dorsal spines is white, and the membrane margined with black ; the membrane 
of the ventral fins is attached to the abdomen ; the orbit is margined with a black circle, 
and the upper eyelid can cover one-half of the eye” — C.; “ the operculum and praoper- 
culum are greenish brown” — L. Mr. Collie remarks, that “the air-bladder is obtuse, 
bilobed, not reaching so far back as the vent; the caeca are numerous; the intestine 
convoluted; and the stomach firm.” — C. A Holoceritrum, Cuv., apparently the Hoi. 
orientate, Cuv. and Val., was also observed ; it was “ coloured with numerous crimson 
bands passing longitudinally, with smaller whitish bands between them, each passing 
gradually into the other.” — C. A species of Glyphisodon, Lacep., which it ^impossible 
to distinguish among the closely approximating races found in the Indian seas, by the 
brief description preserved of it, was of “ a light green, with three broad transverse 
bands of a very dark greenish brown on the body, and one on the tail : its air-bladder 
was of moderate size.” — C. There was also obtained a Lethrinus, Cuv., “of a silvery 
colour, with darker greenish yellow longitudinal bands along the junction of the rows of 
scales towards the back.” Both the species of Scombrida seen appear to be new; 
one of them, termed Sara, is a well-marked Cybium, Cuv., distinguished by its elon- 
gated form, and the lowness and length of its first dorsal fin ; the second, Kattoo, may 
perhaps be the type of a new genus : it has “ teeth small, round, and pointed. It is a 
compressed fish, 20 inches in length, and six in height from belly to back ; the spread 
of its forked tail is five inches. The skin resembles that of the Sara as regards its 
scaliness, but is of a lighter colour. There are fourteen spines in the first dorsal fin ; 
eight distinct pinnules behind the second dorsal, and seven behind the anal fin. There 
are small teeth on the palate and on the vomer 1 ., as in the Sara.” — C. 
A fish which particularly attracted the notice of the voyagers on account of its 
exceeding beauty, and to which they, for want of better information, applied the name 
of Chromis, appears to have been the Macropodus viridi-auratus, Lacep. It agrees 
well with so many of the characters of that fish as are given by M. Lacepede, although 
the slight sketch of it preserved by Mr. Collie bears little resemblance to that published 
in the Histoire Naturelle des Poissons : the latter, however, seems to have been taken 
from a Chinese drawing, and may very possibly be erroneous as to the length and height 
of its dorsal and anal fins, and other particulars. It was “ compressed, and scaly over 
the whole of the head and body. All the fins, except the pectoral, terminated in a 
filament; the ventral fins were connected at their inner margin with the abdomen, and 
consisted of five rays, the second of which was filiform and jointed; the caudal fin was 
forked, each fork terminated by a long filament, the membrane yellowish-brown, and the 
rays crossed with dark brown and white. The intermaxillaries were extensile and 
tubular, and each was furnished with a row of fine teeth. The operculum was jointed ; 
