ClaeivE. — 0)1 Neio Zealand Galaxidae. 83 



Giinther (Cat. Fishes, vol. vi., p. 208), by Captain Hutton's 

 " Catalogue of Fishes of New Zealand " (p. 58), or Professor 

 Hutton's divisions as before mentioned ; nor with hrocchus, 

 which Giinther {ih., p. 210) defines as a variety oi fasciaUis 

 and Professor Hutton as one of alepidotus. I have captured 

 them year by year in Westland^rom 1870 to 1894 — of all 

 sizes, from a couple of inches to a maximum total length of 

 23 in. and weight of 61b., atid in all they keep their robust 

 proportions, though the very large ones appear to have a 

 finer head, on account of the greater development of the 

 " corporation." They take the fly very fairly, especially 

 if it is presented in the form of a large live moth or 

 blow-fly, and in captivity in the aquarium make very 

 handsome and docile pets, soon learning to put their heads 

 out of the water to take a blow-fly from the fingers. As 

 with the English brown-trout, the larger fish are perfect 

 tyrants, and keep the whole of a large pool under subjection. 

 After catching the very large ones, of which a pool will only 

 contain three or four, the next in size, but of larger number, 

 become apparent, and take possession. These, when caught, 

 are represented by a still smaller but more numerous draft. 

 I presume these come out of the very numerous nooks and 

 crannies and sheltering-places about small and large snags, 

 where they are comparatively safe from the pursuit of the 

 large tyrants. To enable these to appear again the pool must 

 be left in abeyance for two or three seasons. The spots, 

 crescents, and old Arabic-script-like markings of this fish are 

 much larger in proportion in the smaller fish, but always keep 

 of the same general figure ; and this species I have found, like 

 abbreviatus, proves most constantly free from aberration. 



In the time of the notorious " Hunt's Eush " to South 

 Westland it was a godsend to the hungry and fast-travelling 

 prospectors, who, on following up the rocky-pool streams 

 running down the sides of the lower ranges abutting on the 

 sea-coast, obtained easy and welcome supplies of the large 

 ones, thus affording, as several told me, " a good galvanised- 

 iron bucket full of solid-fleshed food for the evening meal, and 

 a breakfast as well." Their flesh is white and sweet, and very 

 good if properly cooked, but, being so solid, requires quite 

 double the time of cooking most fish. 



In the very hot and dry late summer and autumn seasons 

 — which you get to perfection in the usually much-maligned 

 West Coast, South Island, climate — when the pools in the 

 creeks and streams which it inhabits are much curtailed 

 thereby, and get a "bloom " on the surface (in miniature like 

 the "Indian summer" of North America), this variety is 

 occasionally infested with a long thin red flesh-worm, which 

 cysts up in the flanks, and also lies in the thick muscles along 



