Griffin. — Four Fishes new to Neiv Zealand. 



357 



Described from a small specimen trawled in Auckland Harbour in 1919. 

 It is easily distinguished from other members of the genus by its com- 

 pletely smooth back, falcate dorsal and anal fins, and the lunate caudal. 

 The black spots are also very conspicuous. The large specimen referred to 

 by Clarke in reference at head was caught in Tauranga Harbour, and has 

 been in the Auckland Museum for some years. On examination I find it 

 to be specifically identical with the one described here, the only points of 

 difference being in the position of the nostrils, and a slight difference in the 

 branch line across the nape. In the large fish the nostrils are nearer the 

 centre, between the eye and tip of snout, and the branch line across nape 

 unites with its fellows on either side. The differences may be due to age 

 only, and a comparison of the measurements will show that the small fish 

 must be immature. 



Measurements : — 



Total length 

 Length of head 

 Height, deflated 

 Interorbital width 

 Width of eye 



Auckland Harbour 

 Specimen. 



188 mm. 

 50 mm. 

 50 mm. 

 20 mm. 

 13 mm. 



Tauranga Harbour 

 Specimen. 



402 mm. 

 94 mm. 

 94 mm. 

 40 mm. 

 18 mm. 



Art. XXXVII. — Observations on certain External Parasites found 

 upon the New Zealand Huia (Neomorpha acutirostris Gould) and 

 not previously recorded. 



By George E. Mason. 



Communicated by H. Hamilton. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 7th September, 1920 ; received by 

 Editor, 23rd November, 1920 ; issued separately, 8th August, 1921.] 



In the course of compiling a table of measurements of the skin of a female 

 specimen of the New Zealand huia (Neomorpha acutirostris Gould) formerly 

 contained in the collection of Sir Walter L. Buller and now in my possession 



1 detected upon the inner side of one of the large orange-coloured wattles 

 which form so characteristic a feature at either side of the base of the bill 

 of this bird a number of small wart-like excrescences which with the aid of 

 a hand-lens proved to be a species of parasite belonging to the Ixodidae. 

 The ticks, five in number, were scattered over the surface of the wattle, 



2 mm. to 3 mm. separating the individuals, and so strongly were the man- 

 dibles embedded in the skin that considerable force was required to detach 

 them. Although they were in a very shrunken and unsatisfactory condi- 

 tion for study, I was enabled by careful preparation to secure the speci- 

 mens so that the identity of the species could be correctly established 

 without question ; and Mr. Cecil Warburton, of the Quick Laboratory, 



