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green, and yellow; tlie breast, sides and belly, like motlier-of-pearl. The dorsal and part of the caudal fin
above the scales, darkish, the other fins light, whitish.
Feec- Inch«. Lines.
Length from the rostrum to the tail . _ _ - i 6 o
the tail - - - 0 2 7
to the dorsal fin - - - o 5 0
to the pectoral fin - - - o 3 6
Heiglit from the abdomen to the ridge of the back - - 0 4 8
REMARKS.
This fish is known at Calcutta under the name of Sable fish, and highly esteemed. At Vizagapatam it
had passed unnoticed, like many others left to the lower ranks of the people. On its appearance, by my request,
in the way of experiment at my brother's table, it was recognised by him as a Bengal acquaintance; and
allowed by all to be a rich and luscious fish, with much of the herring flavour.
On questioning the fishermen why it had never been brought before to the Chief’s table, tliey replied, “ It was
“ not a gentleman’s fish; tlie multitude of small troublesome bones utterly disqualifying it." I found it however
well known to the Portuguese race, wiio used it souced, or prepared with tamarinds.
In some respects it resembles tlie Shad, or Clupea Alosa, but differs in siiape, has no spots, and the
brancliial membrane has only six ossicles.
No. CXCIX.
C l u p e a corpore elongato, cnliralo, alepidoto ; p in n a dorsi remota, ventrali exigua.
T h e C l u p e a w ith a n elo n g a te , k n ife -fo rm b o d y , w itlio u t s c a le s ; th e dorsa l fin n e a r th e
ta il, a n d th e v e n tra l e x trem e ly sm all.
Clupea Dora b ? Forskal. X o . 1 0 8 .
Called b y th e N a tiv e s W a h l a h .
B . v iii. D . 16. P. 14. V .6 . A . 5 1 . C. 23.
The body long, straight, knife-form, compressed, smooth, without scales.
The head small, compressed; the rostrum hardly declining; the front depressed, with a small ridge in the
middle. The mouth large, very oblique, without lips. The under jaw longest, carinate, and when received into
the upper, makes the rostrum,appear pointed. In the upper jaw, are four long, projecting, lanceolate, teeth,
with many smaller marginal behind; in the under jaw they are long, distant, reflex. Tongue small, ovate,
smooth, loose; palate also smooth. Eyes supreme, moderate s ize ; nostrils oval, divided by a valve. Tlie
branchial opercula two-leaved, with the appearance of a third, smooth, rounded; the membrane easily seen ;
the aperture large and gular.
Tiie trunk. The back quite straight, a little rounded, the sides compressed; the abdomen carinate, but
serrated, differently from the others, by small fibres. The brancliial denticles very long. The lateral line
middle, straight, faint. The anus remote.
The Jins. The dorsal near the tail has sixteen slender, declining rays, the points extending beyond the edge
of the membrane; the pectoral low, with twelve or fourteen rays, acuminate above, and a large lanceolate
squama at the root; the ventral middle, of six very slender, short rays; the anal commences opposite to the
dorsal, of the same shape, but twice as long; the caudal fin strong, bifid, two inches in length.
The colour of the crown green and blue, the face and opercula splendent white; the ridge of the back a
rich azure, below which are several green fillets; the rest a bright leaden. The pectoral and caudal fins
glassy, the others light.
Inch«!, Lines.
The length from the rostrum to the tail - - - 10 o
of the caudal fin - - 2 0
Breadth from the back to the abdomen - - - - 1 9
Where narrowest - - - - - - o n
REMARKS.
This fish never appears at the European tables, but is esteemed by the natives.
No. CC.
Clupea corpore sub-cidtraio : p in n a a n i caudali unita.
T h e C l u p e a o f a sh a p e som ew h a t k n ife -fo rm ; th e an a l fin u n ite d vvith th e c a u d a l.
Clupea Myslus L in n . Ó'. X . p . 5 2 4 .
C alled b y th e N a tiv e s O u a l a P a r a g a h .
B .% . D . 1 3 . P . 1 6 . V. 7 . A . 6 2 . C. 1 6 .
T he hody, particularly the hinder part, more of a knife-form than that of the herring, pellucid, white, the
scales orbicular, deciduous.
The head ovate, compressed, the crown grooved, the rostrum obtuse. Tiie mouth oblique, wide; the lower
jaw shortish, truncate; the upper has a short retrofiex process. Teeth very small. The tongue and palate
smootli, tlie latter very red. Eyes supreme, near the rostrum, orbicular; nostrils double or divided by a valve.
The branchial opercula two-leaved, tliin; the membrane half discovered; the aperture arched.
The trunk. The back almost straight, convex, the sides compressed; the abdomen prominent, carínate,
serrated. The branchial denticles long, setaceous; lateral line high, straight; the anus middle.
T h e Z ” i- The dorsal nearly middle, small, with thirteen assurgent rays; the pectoral low, with sixteen
rays, of which six are very long and setaceous; the ventral exceedingly small; the anal ai-ising near the anus
is continued to and joined with the caudal; caudal long, lanceolate, somewhat oblique, witli about sixteen rays.
The colour. The head silvery; the rest resplendent white, with a row of silver dots under and parallel to
the lateral line, on each side. The fins light, or glassy.
Length, five inches and a lialf.