113 



die of the fish, and the distance between it and the gill- 

 opening falls a little short of one-third of the whole length 

 of the fish. The dorsal commences about the eighth of an 

 inch before the vent in the specimen here described, which 

 is equal to a fifth or sixth part of the vertical height there. 

 In the figure (Plate XLV.), owing to the bend given to the 

 body by the artist, the dorsal appears to come farther for- 

 ward than it actually does. The whole integument of the 

 body, fins and head, is covered with minute delicate scales, 

 arranged in the same lettice-work way as in Inbrosa, the 

 individual scales being oblong, oval and more obtuse at 

 one end, but not tapering so much towards the apex as in 

 that species. Under the microscope the scales appear 

 to be entire at the edges, and their disks show concen- 

 tric rows of cells. The lateral line is a continued porous 

 tube, and is conspicuous enough from the gill-opening 

 to the end of the tail. The whole skin is perforated by 

 innumerable minute raised pores, which are particularly 

 conspicuous on the inside of the upper lip, the tongue 

 and roof of the mouth, looking through a lens like villi. 

 The pores of the upper lip terminate near the teeth by a 

 well-defined line, which appears as if fringed by them. 

 The dental surfaces of the several b(5nes are slightly convex, 

 and set densely in a villiform manner with short, slender, 

 cylindrical, acute teeth, not ranged in definite rows. The 

 dental plates are broadest at the symphyses of the jaws, 

 and taper gradually towards the corners of the mouth, but 

 not so much as represented in figures 3 and 4, nor do they 

 end so acutely. The palatine bones flank the nasal bone 

 to the edge of the snout, but, owing to their lateral position 

 and the rounded form of the snout, they do not run quite 

 so far forward as the end of the nasal bone. The lower 

 jaw is slightly longer than the upper one. Pectoral small. 



Length of the Tasmanian specimen, which is figured in 

 Plate XLV., 17^ inches. To anus 7|- inches. To gill- 

 opening 2 inches. Another specimen, from Auckland 

 Islands, measures 19 inches. To anus 8't) inches. To 

 gill-opening 2'4 inches. And one from New Zealand, 

 which was presented to the British Museum by Dr. Sin- 

 clair, Colonial Secretary, measures 18 inches in length, 

 8"2 inches to the anus, and 2'3 inches to the gill-opening. 

 This example is proportionally thicker in the body, and its 

 dorsal commences half an inch before the anus, which is 

 farther forward than in the others. Its eyes are not sym- 

 metrically placed, the left one being over the comer of the 

 mouth, and the right one a little farther forward, but its 

 dentition corresponds with australis, and I can detect no 

 specific differences. 



Hab. Tasmania. New Zealand Auckland Islands. 



Anguilla dieffenbachii. Gray. 



Anguilla dieffenbachii, J. E. Gray, Dieffenbach's Travels in New 

 Zealand. Append, p. 225. 



This eel has a larger pectoral than australis, and its 

 dorsal begins an inch before the anus in a specimen 

 17 inches long, but, on examining the individual contained 



in the British Museum, I detected no other difference be- 

 tween it and australis. 



Anguilla aucklandii. Richardson. 

 Plate XLV., figs. 7—13. 



In this species the height of the body, and especially of 

 the tail, is greater than in australis; and the end of the 

 tail with the fins spread out is more rounded, the lips are 

 less porous, and the tongue more pointed. The teeth also 

 are disposed in narrower bands, and the vomerine patch 

 tapers more and runs farther back. The most tangil)le 

 difference, however, is in the origin of the dorsal, which is 

 considerably farther forward. The eye also is placed 

 rather before the corner of the mouth, not over it. The 

 profile of the forehead is more concave, and the two jaws 

 are more nearly equal in length. 



Length of the fish 20 inches. To anus 9 inches. To 

 gill-opening Sg- inches. To beginning of dorsal GS inches. 

 Distance between gill-opening and anus 6j inches. The 

 dorsal begins before the anus almost 2 inches, or 4^ inches 

 posterior to the gill-opening. 



Hab. Auckland Islands. 



Anguilla labkosa. Richardson. 



The eel described below was taken by K. L. Sutherland, 

 Esq., Paymaster and Purser of the ' North Star,' in the 

 South Seas, but the exact locality is not recorded, and we 

 do not know whether it be a fresh-water or marine fish. 

 It has the general aspect of an eel, and also the conspicu- 

 ous tessellated scales which many of the true Aiiguillw 

 jjossess ; but its dorsal, commencing rather nearer to the 

 gill-opening than to the anus, excites a doubt as to 

 whether it ought not to be classed with the Congers, which 

 are artificially separated from the Anguilla; by the more 

 anterior commencement of the dorsal. In the nature of 

 the dentition lahrosa is allied to Anguilla hrevirostris of 

 McClelland (Calc. Journ. t. 5, f. 1), but the forms of the 

 dental plates are not precisely the same. 



The skin is clothed throughout, except on the lips, with 

 narrow oblong scales, which taper considerably at one end, 

 but are not absolutely acute. When examined with a mi- 

 croscope, their edges are perceived to be quite entire, and 

 their whole disks to be densely studded with oval and 

 rounded cells. In situ the scales are ranged in short 

 rows, which meet each other nearly at right angles, and, 

 being covered with a darker pigment than the dusky brown 

 integument, are very conspicuous, giving a tesselated or 

 interwoven appearance to the surface of the skin. The 

 scales cover the fins, as well as the body and head. The 

 head is depressed, flatly rounded on the top, and wider at 

 the gill-openings than it is high. The compression of the 

 body begins immediately behind the pectorals, and in- 

 creases to the end of the tail, which, with its investing fins. 



