60 
Collection of Fish 
readily fiom all the known Scrrani by the peculiar form 
of its pectoral rays, whose numerous branchlets are so 
graduated and closely approximated as to give a flat 
lanceolate shape to the tip of each ray. The general 
colour of the fish is reddish brown, with umber-brown 
spots, a dark patch beneath the end of the pectorals ; & 
bright blue stripe crossing the anterior suborbitar, en¬ 
circling the eye, and running along the lateral line to the 
caudal fin. There are also thirteen or fourteen narrower 
blue streaks on the lower part of the flanks and tail.. 
The fins are lake red, and are all, except the ventrals,,. 
more or less scaly. 
2. Centromistis Salar. Cent, operculo suboperculo- 
que squamosis ; inter operculo serninudo ; preoperculo 
subdenticulato ; pinnis dor si unique infossis reccptis. 
Radii: —Br. 7 —7; P. 10; D. 9, 1G; V. 1, 5; A. 3, 10 ; C. 17IJ. 
This species is known locally as the Salmon, and differs 
from C. truttaceus , as described in the Histoire des ; 
Poissons , in the distribution of the scales on the gill- 
covers, and in some other minute particulars. Trutta¬ 
ceus is said to have the interoperculum and suboperculum 
entirely naked, and only a few scales on the operculum 
itself (“ quelqucs tcaillcs sur sa surface”). In C. salar 
there are five rows of pretty large scales on the oper¬ 
culum, one row on the suboperculum, covering surfaces of 
both these bones, and a row of smaller scales on the inter- 
operculum, clothing its upper half only. As these scales 
are easily detached, and the gill-plates remain hard and 
silvery, after they are removed with the epidermis, it 
must be difficult to distinguish an injured specimen from 
truttaceus; whose description in other respects exactly 
accords with salar , except that the latter has the sub¬ 
orbitar very faintly denticulated, and two rays fewer in 
the soft dorsal. 
