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find any trace of teeth whatever ; but by its anal fin being very 
short, formed of six branched rays, its lateral line running along 
the medium line of the tail ; its dorsal fin with a strongly 
serrated spine, situated a little behind the ventrals, its abdomen 
compressed into a sharp ridge behind the ventrals, and the 
absence of barbels, it seems to come very near to Dr. Bleeker’s 
genus, Bohteicthjs ; but the very large scales which cover its 
body make it distinct from this Indian genus, and its enor- 
mously developed belly gives it a very particular appearance. 
I have just said that on the fresh specimens there is to trace 
whatever of teeth ; but on the dried one there is visible on each 
side of the palate a very large horny tubercular one, having the 
form of a sugar loaf ; but this seems only to have appeared through 
the skin by the effect of dessication. 
M-EOCAEASSUIS VENTEICOSUS. 
The body is very high, very thick, and the lower profile 
remarkably rounded and convex ; the mouth is rather extensible. 
The height of the body is contained two and one-third times in 
the total length ; head four and a-half times in the same ; orbit 
four and four-tenth times in the length of head. No barbels ; 
head without scales, except under the eye. The scales on the 
infraorbital are very large, in small number, radiated, and serrated 
on their edge ; operculum covered with arched, convergent striae ; 
scales of the body very large — thirty on the lateral line, fifteen 
on the oblique one, of which seven are over the lateral line 
(which runs over the eighth) ; they are covered with fine concentric 
striiB ; they appear, when seen through a lens, finely serrated. 
The lateral line is always straight, rather elevated near the head, 
and runs over the middle of the tail ; it is formed of a succession 
of elevated ridges, which only extend over the two first thirds of 
the scale, and end (on the living specimen) bj a rounded point 
of an obscure colour. The first dorsal is formed of four spines, 
of which the first is very small, the second rather longer, the 
third nearly three times as long as the second, and the fourth 
very long, rather strong, with numerous spinelets on its inner side ; 
it is four times longer than the third. The rays number seven- 
teen, and the first are longer than the longest spines, but they 
decrease in height as they extend backwards. The caudal is 
