BY J. DOUGLAS OGILBY. 157 



in front, barbed behind, its lenf^th ^ of that of the head, and 

 much less than the rays, which do not reach to the origin of the 

 second dorsal; second dorsal originating slightly in advance of 

 the base of the ventral: distance of anal tin from tip of mandible 

 2f in the total length : ventral rounded, with 1 1 rays, its length 

 3^ in the head : pectoral with 8 soft rays, the spine serrated on 

 the outer border, its length 2^ in that of the head and ^^ of the 

 soft rays, which do not reach to the base of the ventral : caudal 

 small and rounded, ^ of the head. Blue-grey, darkest above, the 

 upper surface of the head nearly black. 



Etymology : — durus, hard; ceps, head. 



Type in the South Australian Museum, Adelaide. 



Distribution : — St. Vincent's Gulf, South Australia. The 

 unique example from which the above description was drawn up 

 appears to have been washed ashore and partially sun-dried; it 

 measures 383 millimeters. I have, however, seen a specimen of 

 Plotosus equally constricted in the abdominal region, the evident 

 cause being the presence of a large number of free-swimming 

 copepods i^Lerneolojjhus sp.) attached to th(i inside of the mouth 

 and throat. The condition of the species described above may 

 therefore have been due to disease. 



GALAXIID^. 



GaLAXIAS OCCIDENTALIS, sp.nov. 



B. vii. D. 8-9. A. 13-U. 



Body moderately stout and compressed, its depth 5 to 5^ in 

 the total length, its width 1^ to 1§ in its depth. Length of head 

 44 to 5 in the total length; width of head equal to its depth and 

 If to 2 in its length. Interorbital region flat, its width 2| to 24 

 in the head. Diameter of eye 4 to 4^ in the head and 14 to ]| 

 in the snout. Lower jaw the longer. Maxillary extending to or 

 a little beyond the vertical from the anterior border of the eye, 

 its length 2'i to 2# in the head. Gill-rakers 3-1-10, short. 

 Dorsal and anal fins rounded; the space between the origin of 



