2 8 Tra nsactiom . — Zoo logy . 



4. Hancock and Ejibleton. — " Account of a Eibbon-fish (Gymnetrus) taken 



off the Coast of Northumberland." " Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.," 

 '2nd series, vol. iv., 18-49, p. 1. 



5. LiiTKEN. — " Trachypterus arcticus og Gymnetrus banksii (grillii)." 



"Vidensk. Meddel. fra den naturh. Foren. i Kjobenhavn," 1881, 

 p. 190. 



6. Lutken. — " Nogle Benuerkninger om Vaagmffiren (Trachypterus <in-tir<i<) 



og Sildetusten (Gymnetrus banksii):" with French translation. 

 Oversigt over d. k. D. Vidensk. Selsk. Forbancll., 1882, p. 206. 

 Translation by W. S. Dallas in " Ann. and Mag Nat. Hist.," 5th 

 series, vol. ii., 1883, p. 176. 



7. T. J. Parker — " On a Specimen of the Great Bibbon-tisli (Regalecus 



argenteus, n. sp.) lately obtained at Moeraki, Otago." "Trans. N.Z. 

 Inst.," vol. xvi. (1883), p. 284.* 



8. T. J. Parkek. — " On the Skeleton of Regalecus argenteus." " Trans. 



Zool. Soc," vol. xii., part 1 (1886), p'. 6. 



Postscript. — Since writing the above I have seen Professor 

 McCoy's description of a Ribbon-fish caught in the waters 

 between the Victorian and Tasmanian coasts, in May, 1878. 

 The description occurs in the 15th decade of the " Prodromus of 

 the Zoology of Victoria," and is illustrated by a coloured plate. 

 The specimen is especially interesting from the condition of the 

 tail, which tapered gradually to a vertical height of 1 cm., when 

 it was broken off : thus, even if it tapered, when perfect, to a 

 veritable point, it cannot well have lost more than 3 or 4 cm. 

 In correspondence with this, we have the important fact that 

 the number of dorsal fin-rays is 17 + 406, that is exactly the 

 same as in Lindroth's Hitteren specimen (/?. grillii), in which 

 the number of rays is given as 400, the nuchal rays being, 

 according to Collett, counted separately. 



Unfortunately, McCoy does not give the position of the anus : 

 the remaining chief measurements are as follows : — 



Total length 

 Length of head 

 Greatest height of body 



Proportion of length of head to total length 

 ,, height of body „ 



From the analogy of this specimen one would conclude that 

 the Otago Harbour Rcijalccus described above must have lost 

 at least feet (180 cm.) of its length, or, in other words, that 

 in the uninjured condition it must have been fully 17 feet 

 (528 cm.) long. 



The markings of McCoy's specimen, as shown in the plate, 

 are peculiar. The black bands on the anterior part of the body 

 are more nearly vertical, and more irregular in form and size, 

 than usual; the oval or circular spots do not extend over the 



* Further references to the literature of the subject are given in this paper. 



