64 



of Linnaeus ; and Cuvier in the ' Regne Animal ' has inadver- 

 tently retained the specific name oi papillosus for the Port 

 Jackson fish, though he separates it from the species de- 

 scribed by Linna3us, which he considers to be the same with 

 the B. monoceros of Lacepede, i. pp. 336, 386, pi. 17, 

 fig. 3. In this, the rays are as follows : D. 1| — 48 ; A. 51 ; 

 C. 12; P. 15. 



Sir James Ross's specimen of granulatus has suffered 

 considerable injury from maceration in deteriorated spirit, 

 and perhaps some of the dark patches represented in the 

 figure arise from this, and may not exist in the recent 

 fish. The profile rises to the dorsal spine at an angle of 

 30°, with a slight concavity behind the lips, giving a 

 somewhat beaked appearance to the fish. The space be- 

 tween the dorsals has a horizontal or slightly concave pro- 

 file, and the slopes on which the second dorsal and anal 

 are imposed are slightly convex and similar to each other. 

 When the pelvic bone is extended forward to the utmost, 

 the dewlap has a conical bag-like form, and the height of 

 the body, from its apex to the dorsal line, is but little less 

 than half the total length, while the height at the anus is 

 just equal to a third of that length, caudal included. The 

 dorsal spine stands over the posterior third of the eye and 

 the gill-opening, and its length is equal nearly to half the 

 extreme height of the body and dewlap. It is roundish 

 in front, finely granulated, and armed by two rows of 

 .short depressed teeth. Behind, it is armed by two rows of 

 stronger acute recurved spinous teeth, with the interval be- 

 tween the rows flat and furrowed. The trigger ray in its 

 axilla is short and bluntish. The second dorsal commences 

 rather before the anus. The point of the pelvic bone is a 

 small knob, studded with twelve or fourteen spinous points 

 diverging in all directions There are no rays in the 

 dewlap behind it. 



The whole skin is studded with spines, enveloped in soft 

 integument, and looking to the naked eye like tubercles or 

 papillae, which are fully better represented in White's figure 

 than in ours. With a common lens, however, and even when 

 examined with a good light by the naked eye, each little 

 tubercle is seen to contain a spine shaped as represented 

 in fig. 2, the angular shoulder being as sharp as a lancet. 

 On the edge of the dewlap the spines are subulate, and not 

 larger than the others, but they might be mistaken as shown 

 in our figure for points of rays. The skin between the 

 spines has a bluish gray colour after maceration in spirits. 

 The dark markings existing in the specimen may be best 

 learnt by consulting the figure. There is a faint appear- 

 ance of bars on the caudal. Length, 74 inches. 

 Hab. Port Jackson. 



Among Dep. Assistant Commissary General Neill's draw- 

 ings of King George's Sound fish, No. 51, having the native 

 name of " Tabaduck," much resembles M. granulatvs in 

 profile, and also in the stellate point of the pelvic bone, 

 nor does it differ much in the numbers of the rays, which 

 are reckoned by Mr. Neill as follows: D. I|— 28 ; A. 26 ; C. 

 12 ; P. 12. It is tinted of a mountain-green colour, with the 

 top of the head darker, and the caudal almost blackish 

 green, especially near its extremity, but no spots are indi- 

 cated nor is the roughness of the integument shown, yet I 

 am inclined to attribute the absence of these, merely 

 to want of finish in the drawing, and to consider the 



Tabaduck of King George's Sound as the same species with 

 Mo)iacanthus grctnulatus of Sidney Cove. 



The Bag Balistes of Latham may be intended for this 

 species, but it is too rudely drawn for identification. 

 It differs, also, in two short rays following the dorsal spine. 



MoN.\CANTHrs CHiNENSis. Osbeck, [Balistes). 



Radii:— D. 1|— 32; A. 30; C. 12; P. 1-3. 



Balistes chlnensis, Osbeck, Voy. i. p. 177, Eng. tr. ; Bl. 152. fig. 1 ; 

 Schu. p. 4(58 ; Mon. megalurus, Richardson, Icon. Pise. p. 5, pi. 1, fig.3 ; 

 Icon. Reeves, 89 ; Hardw. Cartil. 31, et ab India, 28? Richardson, Ichth. 

 of China, Report to B. Ass. in 1845, p. 201. Chinese name, Hih pe yang, 

 " Black-skinned goat," (Birch) ; " Black-skinned sheep," (Reeves) ; Hah 

 pe yeang, (Bridgem. Chrestomathy, 50). 



Plate XL., fig. 3, natural size ; 4 magnified. 



A characteristic figure of this species is given by Bloch, 

 and it is well described by Schneider, but we have 

 thought it desirable to figure Sir James Ross's specimen, 

 that naturalists may be enabled to judge of the identity of 

 the Australian and Chinese fish, and also to have an oppor- 

 tunity of correcting an error, that I fell into, in describing 

 Lieutenant Emery's drawings of Australian fish, when I 

 named this Monacanthus as a new species. The proportions 

 are not exactly kept in the drawing, and the caudal fin is 

 much exaggerated in size, but the general profile leaves 

 little doubt of Lieutenant Emery's having had a specimen 

 of M. chhiensis before him. The profile of the face in 

 chinemis is concave, giving a more beaked form to 

 the muzzle than in gra)ntlafus, and the dorsal line inclines 

 upwards to the commencement of the second dorsal, which 

 is the highest point of the back, from whence it descends 

 in a slope to the tail. The ascending slope to which the 

 anal is attached has a corresponding form and inclination. 

 The dewlap is thin, with a membranous edge, which is 

 supported by fine rays, mostly simple, but occasionally 

 forked. The tips of many of these rays project beyond 

 the margin of the membrane, which has a rounded outline. 

 At the extremity of the pelvic bone there is a cylindrical 

 process, ribbed and granulated on the surface, and armed 

 at each end by about four small, acute spines. The mem- 

 brane of the dewlap descends beyond this process. The 

 height from the first dorsal to the lowest part of the dew- 

 lap is contained once and a half in the total length of the 

 fish. The dorsal spine stands over the posterior half of the 

 orbit, and is ribbed and granulated or hispid in front, and 

 armed on each side behind, by a row of strong spines. The 

 small trigger ray does not rise above the margin of the ax- 

 illary pit of the spine. This pit is small, and becoming 

 obsolete in the dried specimen, or being filled by mem- 

 brane in the wet one, its existence is denied by Schneider. 

 The lower end of the gill-opening is even with the upper 

 edge of the base of the pectoral. The skin is thickly stud- 

 ded by acute spines, which curve backwards and spring 

 from a swelling base. The curved and flexuose lateral 

 line is marked by a series of geminate spines, as noticed by 

 Schneider. There are six and sometimes more larger 

 spines disposed in two rows on each side of the tail, which 

 is also studded with small ones. 



