Waite. — FisJie-' of Kermodec and Norfolk Islands. 377 



Trachypoma macracanthus, Gimther. 



Th.e collection contains two examples, the larger of which, measuring 

 228 mm. in length, was taken off the rocks at Sunday Island by hook and 

 line. It is thus much larger than the type, which measured 180 mm. Both 

 examples agi'ee absolutely in structure with the diagnosis and figure of the 

 species,* but differ in coloration. Instead of being uniform, the head and 

 t)ody are mottled with brown, and. though the specimens agree, the mai'k- 

 ings are better defined in the smaller fish, which is 110 mm. long. The top 

 of the head is brown, and there is a V-shaped mark on the cheek, the front 

 limb of which lies below the eye ; there are four irregular brown blotches 

 across the back, one in advance of the dorsal, a second at the base of the 

 last six spines, a third below the middle of the rays, and the fourth across 

 the base of the caudal ; the blotches beneath the fins are also continued 

 some distance up their bases ; a brown band passes from the snout behind 

 the eye, and is represented along the lateral line by a series of large irregular 

 blotches, which are generally alternate with the dorsal marks. The cha- 

 racteristic spots, which, as I know from fresh specimens collected at Lord 

 Howe Island, are blue in life, are not very apparent in the Kermadec 

 Island examples, but may be traced on the fins, and faintly on the body in 

 places ; they w^ould be doubtless more conspicuous when the fish was ahve. 



This species is now known from Norfolk Island (the type locality), Lord 

 Howe, and the Kermadec Islands. 



Acanthistius cinctus, Giinther. 



The largest example brought from the island measures 330 mm. in 

 length. Mr. Oliver says that it is very common among rocks all round the 

 coast, and is greedy, and easily caught. 



Arripis trutta, Forster. 



The kahawai is extremely common at the islands, and Mr. Oliver says 

 that during the months of September and October they Uterally swarmed 

 round the island, feeding on a small crustacean ; on the 8th September, 

 when Denham Bay was crowded with kahawai, many were caught, and the 

 stomachs of all were full of the crustaceans. Examples caught in April 

 were in roe. Two specimens w-ere preserved for examination. 



Girella cyanea, Macleay. 



I referred several small specimens to this common Lord Howe Island 

 species, but, as they showed some slight differences, I referred them to 

 Mr. A. R. McCulloch, of the Australian Museum, for the purpose of com- 

 paring them with the examples we together collected there in 1902 3. He 

 says that, compared Avith specimens of the same size, they differ only by 

 having the ventrals reaching nearly to the vent, whereas in all others they 

 fall short of it. He adds that the Lord Howe Island examples show some 

 variation in this respect, and he would regard the Kermadec Island examples 

 as referable to this species. The life colours as described by Mr. Oliver are 

 exactly those of GireUa cyanea. 



Scorpis aequipinnis, Richardson. 



This Australian species, known also from Lord Howe Island, differs 

 from the New Zealand S. violacevs. Hutton. by its larger scales. Three 

 small examples were collected on Sunday Island. 



* Boulenger, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. (2), i, 1895, p. 146, pi. ii. 



