REGALECTJS GLESXE— WAITB. 



165 



the flesh beneath, but the spaces between are quite free and a 

 pencil or penholder may be passed under the skin along the entire 

 length of the body. 



Colour — The general colour is silvery-grey, the upper surface is 

 quite silvery and the five tubercular rows are equally so. The 

 body is marked with irregularly oval black spots, those in front 

 being as large as half a crown, while those towards the end of the 

 tail are much smaller — about the size of a shilling piece. On the 

 lower surface the spots are more widely spaced, and narrow black 

 vertical bars are placed at intervals and directed obliquely from 

 before backwards. The fins including the ventral filaments, are 

 flaming red ; the dorsal is variegated with a series of opal coloured 

 spots, one to each ray, placed nearer the body than the edge of 

 the tin ; mouth within black. The vertebra? are 13G + ? in number. 



The general inclination is to now regard all the described 

 examples as referable to one species, R. glesne, and although this 

 name is adopted for our example, it is to be borne in mind that 

 specimens exhibit very great diversity in proportionate height 

 and length. It has, on the other hand, been pointed out that the 

 proportions of head to body and the number of fin rays difi'er greatly 

 at difterent ages. Parker* has drawn up a key to the species of 

 Regalecus, from this our specimen appears to be referable either to 

 R banksii or R, grillii, having more than two hundred and fifty 

 dorsal rays, no teeth, and no caudal fin. In the former species the 

 height is one-thirteenth of the length and the dorsal rays two 

 hundred and seventy-six to three hundred and five. In the latter 

 the height is one-eighteenth of the length and the dorsal rays 

 four hundred and six. In McCoy's example, named R. banksii, 

 the height is one-twenty-third of the length and the dorsal rays 

 four hundred and six. De Vis' species fR. mastersii) is the least 

 elongate known, its height being but one-ninth of its length ; the 

 number of dorsal rays is not given. 



* T. J. Parker— Trans. N. Zeal. Inst., xvi., 1883, p. 296. 



