82 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Another of the Westland species I refer to, which, though 

 agreeing perhaps in some measure with alepidotus, in greater 

 particulars differs. These differences, with all the varieties I 

 now deal with, I have — by description and tabular arrange- 

 ments prepared on even system — rendered easier for inspection 

 and comparison. I give two drawings of this species also, to 

 show the distinction between the more moderate-sized and 

 larger fish; but the principal points of comparison remain con- 

 stant (Plate IV.). This variety grows to such constant large 

 size that it would have been more appropriately called grandis, 

 if the late Professor von Haast had not already adopted such 

 specific name for the fish Professor Button now classifies as 

 a variety of G. brevipinnis. However, as the South Island 

 west coast Maoris always call this species " kokopu," and as 

 such name has not yet been specifically used, I propose to 

 distinguish it as Galaxias kokopu. 



G. kokopu is of excessively slow growth as compared with 

 the rest of the family, and prefers to frequent those smaller 

 rivers and streams which have rocky or hard gravelly beds. 

 It is sometimes caught in the larger snow-fed rivers, but only 

 occurs there — in my experience — near the mouths of tribu- 

 taries with the features noted. It evidently does not like 

 too great a continuous current to exist in, as is generally the 

 case with the Westland wholly snow- or snow- and rain-fed, 

 large, open, shingle-bedded rivers — practically huge mountain 

 torrents — as you occasionally find, after spates, a specimen or 

 two washed up on the beaches at the mouths of such rivers as 

 have suitable tributaries near their embouchure to the ocean. 



Professor Haast writes, in his article on G. grandis'''- : 

 " This species occurs also at the West Coast, where I obtained 

 it in Lake Hall [Paringa Lake] , the outlet of which falls into 

 the Paringa River." This shows he must have observed this 

 West Coast variety I now refer to without having properly 

 defined it at the time, as he obtained and described his 

 grandis some years after his visit to South Westland ; also, 

 G. kokopu is commonly obtained in the streams about the 

 Paringa Valley, and north and south of it, of which more 

 anon. 



Kokopu differs from grandis in very many points, nothing 

 but) the colour — apart from the other general family charac- 

 teristics — being deducible from the description as at all 

 corresponding; and this colour, though described as "yel- 

 lowish spots and short streaks," is noted as "on the back and 

 head they are small and of rare occurrence," which is quite 

 different from G. kokopu. Neither, as before mentioned, does 

 it agree with the principal points of alepidotus, as defined by 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. v., p. 278. 



