1 68 TJic Scottish Naturalist. 



OCCURRENCE OF BANKS OAR-FISH (REGALECUS BANKSII) 

 ON THE ABERDEENSHIRE COAST.— On February 8th, a specimen of 

 this rare fish was found among the rocks near Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. It 

 was sent to Aberdeen to Professor Struthers, through whose kindness I have 

 had the opportunity of examining it, and of making the following notes upon 

 it: — Its length is about II '5 feet; its greatest depth of body (at 30*5 inches 

 behind the posterior edge of the eye) is 1 1 inches ; its greatest thickness (at 

 32 inches behind the eye) is 2*37 inches. The eye is 1 '37 inches in diameter, and 

 the irides are silvery. There are 4 gills, with gill-rakers I inch long by 0*25 

 inch broad at the base. The soft palate hangs down 0*5 inch beyond the plane 

 of the hard palate, and has 3 ridges running obliquely along each side, set with 

 strong bristles. The stomach, which was empty, extended in a single tube for 

 3 feet n*5 inches behind the anal orifice. Dr. Day, in his notice of this fish, 

 says, " Stomach elongated and divided posteriorly, is continued backwards 

 between the muscles to within a short distance of the caudal end of the fish." 

 In the specimen under notice there is no bifurcation of the stomach. The 

 caecal appendages are very numerous. The intestine passed forward from its 

 origin at the stomach for about 20 inches, then, doubling on itself, it passed 

 straight to the anus. An organ runs from the anus, where it has a wide open- 

 ing, up to within 1 1 inches of the gills. It is attached to the upper surface of 

 the abdominal cavity, and for two-thirds of its length it is bifurcated anteriorly, 

 each of the branches terminating in a fine point. I am doubtful as to the true 

 nature of the organ, but conjecture that it is analogous to the oviduct in some 

 of the sharks. The lateral line commences 0*5 inch above the eye, and takes 

 a downward curve towards the belly for a distance of 13 inches from the posterior 

 edge of the eye. At this point the lateral line is 4 inches from the abdominal 

 ridge ; at the anus they are 2 "5 inches apart, and at the tail they are 1 inch 

 apart. There are 4 indurated ridges above the lateral line. Three faint bluish 

 slightly waved lines cross the body, their lower ends inclining backwards; they 

 are 13 inches apart, and the first is 21 inches behind the eye. Behind the anus 

 there are 40 dark transverse bars along the centre of the body ; they are about 

 I '5 inches apart anteriorly, but 2 inches apart near the tail. 



Unfortunately the head in front of the eyes had been smashed by dashing 

 against the rocks. The dorsal, pectoral, and ventral fins also were broken. 

 The tail has a little piece torn from the centre, but is otherwise complete, and 

 differs from the figures in the works of Couch and Day, in which the lower edge 

 of the tail is represented as prolonged into a point. In this specimen the tail 

 finishes on each side of the broken centre, which must have extended beyond 

 the rest, in a soft smooth rounded flesh-coloured portion. 



Only twenty-two or twenty-three specimens of this species have yet been 

 recorded from the coasts of England and Scotland. Its geographical distribu- 

 tion is, however, very wide, since it has been found in the Mediterranean, 

 South Atlantic, East Indies, New Zealand, and New South Wales. 



George Sim. 

 Aberdeen, 12nd February, 1884, 



