BY J. DOUGLAS OGILBY. 63 



which had taken place in the Museum and the consequent shifting 

 of specimens from place to place the examples in question were 

 not immediately forthcoming. 



In default of these the next best thing to do was to endeavour 

 to get other specimens from the same locality, and an opportunity 

 for effecting this occurred through the visit in January last of the 

 Rev. J. M. Curran and Mr. C. Hedley to Mount Kosciusko, and 

 the writer thereupon called the attention of the latter gentleman 

 to the subject in the hope of procuring a good working series for 

 examination; however, the specimens thus obtained, two or three 

 in number, were, on Mr. Hedley's return, handed to the authori- 

 ties of the Australian Museum, and became, therefore, unavailable 

 for the purpose required, which included such an exhaustive 

 examination as the difficulty of determining the species of this 

 intricate genus and the interest attaching to this particular form 

 as an inhabitant of a greater altitude than is reached by any 

 other Australian fish warranted. 



In this unsatisfactory state our knowledge must again have 

 been indefinitely left but that, the Rev. Mr. Curran having 

 occasion to return almost immediately to Kosciusko, the writer 

 took advantage of his going to request him to collect sufficient 

 material to enable the complete examination which was deemed 

 necessary to be made. So well was this request acceded to that 

 on the return of that gentleman from his second trip I received 

 a fine series numbering no less than sixteen individuals in perfect 

 condition, and this collection was afterwards supplemented by a 

 further contribution of eleven, and I take this opportunity of 

 acknowledging my obligations and tendering my grateful thanks 

 to that gentleman for the trouble which he took in procuring so 

 fine a series of specimens. 



A critical investigation of these examples reveals facts which 

 greatly invalidate certain apparently well established characters 

 which have hitherto been considered of sufficient importance to 

 justify specific separation. As an instance, it will be remembered 

 that the fishes of the genus Galaxias have naturall}^ fallen into 

 two groups, characterised — the one by a short, stout l)ndy, uf 



