1G8 < NOTES OK, AND UKSCRIPTIONS OF AUSTRALIAN- FISHES, 



charge was a feeble one, and was ])ro(luced after the fish had been eviscerated 

 and was apparently dead. Each discharge appeared to be associated with a 

 convulsive contraction of the disc, the edges of the pectorals being turned over 

 towards the middle of the back, and distinct shocks were felt from all parts 

 of the body, including even the ventral fins. By placing a foot upon the disc 

 when the charges were somewhat reduced in power, we felt the shock simul- 

 taneously in the same muscles in both legs. A remarkable feature of the elec- 

 tric discharge was that it could be conveyed from the water up a wet stick, 

 or while the fish w;us lying upon the wet sand ; the specimen was finally killeii 

 witli a knife tied to a dried stick, which conveyed no shocks. 



The stomach of this specimen contained nothing but a bright coloured 

 fluid. The small mouth suggests that the species feeds upon smaller animals, 

 but a lobster-fisherman recently assured me that ho had taken a large specimen 

 from one of his pots which had curled itself through the opening, and which 

 contained a large Flathead (Platycephalus) several inches of which protruded 

 from its mouth. 



Loch. — Four specimens are preserved in the '"Endeavour" collection from 

 the following localities: — Six miles East of Cape Hawke, New South Wales. 

 47-60 fathoms, 21st -June, 1910; Great Australian Bight, edge of bank. 80-120 

 fathoms, April, 1913. 



These have been compared with four others from Port .lackson and the 

 Clarence River Estuai-y, New South Wales, and Rottnest Island, Western Aus- 

 tralia. 



Family SERRANIDAE. 



Epikephf,lus cakruleopunctatus Bloch. 



Holocentrtis caeruleopunctatus, I'loch, Ausl. Fi.sche., iv.. 1790, p. 04, PI. ccxlii., 



fif,'. 2. 

 Serramts hoeve-nii, Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Gen., sxii., 1840, p. 3(1. 

 Epinephelus Jiocvcnii, Bleeker, Atla.s Ichth.. vii., 1875, p. t)3. Pis. cclxxxii., 



cclxxxvi., and ccxc. 

 Epinepheliis caeruleopunctatv.'i, Boulenger, Brit. Mus. ("at. Fish., i., 1895, p. 



246 (sjTionymy). 



Colour variation. — Two specimens 56 and 215 mm. long, from off Cape 

 Bedford, Queensland, represent the colour varieties figured by Bleeker as E. 

 ho,everiii on plates 286 and 282 respectively. A third from Palm Islands, 120 

 mm. long, is nearer the variety figured on plate 200, its whole head, t>ody and 

 fins l)eing closely covered with small white spots; it is similar to a specimen 

 of about the same size from Batavia which was identified l)y Bleeker as E. 

 h-oevenii. Another sjiecimen 120 mm. long, fi'om olT Cai)e Bedford, is somewhat 

 intermediate between the two varieties, having many smaller spots intermingled 

 with the larger ones. 



Localities. — This species lias not hitherto been recognised from Australian 

 watci-a. Specimens are in the Australian Museum from North-western Australia; 

 Two Islands, off Cape Bedford, Queensland, coll. Iledley and Brigg-s, Aug., 1916; 

 Palm Islands, Queensland, coll. E. H. Rainford, 1921; New Hebrides; New 

 Caledonia; Bougainville Island; Bata\'ia. 



Family APOGONIDAE. 



.ViYWTON' TuuiAruLATUs Cuvier & Valenciennes. 



Apogoi! trimac/datu.'^. Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss.. ii., 1828, p. 156, 

 PI. xxii; Castelnau, Res. Fi.sh. Austr. (Vict. Offir. Rfc. Philad. Exhib.), 

 1875, p. 9. 



I 



