BY J. DOUGLAS OGILBY. 73 



importance has evidently been placed by Australian authors (I 

 might perhaps with equal truth say by all authors) on the shape 

 and colour of these fishes, both of which characters I have shown 

 above to be quite worthless in distinguishing the species. 



Finallj^ I am not satisfied, notwithstanding my scepticism with 

 regard to the number of Austrahan species, to accept as proved 

 the identity of the New Zealand and Tasmanian attenuatus with 

 the Falkland Island and Peruvian forrn, referred to by Giinther 

 under the same name, nor am I prepared to go as far as Macleay 

 in considering that " it is more than probable that they " — all 

 the known forms of Galaxias — "ai-e one and all only permanent 

 local varieties of the same fish." 



