66 RECOKD.S OF THE AUSTKALIAN MUSEUM. 



Vorinlio)!. — In its youiiji^er stages tliis fisli is more or less mottled 

 with dark bit'urcatiug bauds descending from the back to the sides. 



ILabits. — According to Mr. McNeill, this tish frequents the foaming 

 wash of the waves in the vicinity of weed-covereil rocks on the coast near 

 Sydney, where it procures the weed kiiown as Sea-cabbage upon which it 

 feeds. In calmer Aveather, it will allow itself to be carried over the rocks 

 by the Avaves, and after taking a mouthful of the Aveed, hurries back Avilh 

 the receding water, though it is occasionally left stranded until another 

 Avave enables it to regain the Avater. When hooked, this tish endeaA'oui's 

 to dart into a retreat among the rocks where it secures a hold among the 

 shelves and ledges with its outstretched tins, and fi-om Avhich position it 

 can only be dislodged with difhciTlty. It is commonly known as the 

 Black Drummer. Further notes on the habits are given by Stead. 



Locs. — G. ehrata is known only from the A'icinity of Sydney. ScA'eral 

 specimens are in the Australian Museum from Maroubi-a, near Sydney, 

 and one from Terrigal, a little farther to the north. 



Genus tl lKEl.Lor'8, Rrijaii. 



Girelli'jis, Ivegaii, Troc. Zool. Soc, I'Jlo, [). oGi) ((iirdla iiclmldfa, Kendall 

 and Radcliffe). 



This genus has been separated from Girella and Tejilirtd'ops on account 

 of the absence of an inner series of teeth in each jaw. In the following 

 species a few minute and almost rudimentary inner teeth are pi-esent, 

 Avhich, howeA'er, are very different to those of (lirella and 'rei>hriie<>i>g in 

 which they are numerous, flattened, and arranged in a broad band. 



(JlKKlJ-Ol'S I'IMIIKIATUS, •-/'. VOV. 



(Plate xiii., lig. 2.) 



D. xvi/l-J : A. lii, 10; V. i/5 ; W 16 ; C. 17. 71 rows of scales l)elnw 

 the lateral line between its origin and the hypuial jt)int, and about S(! 

 rows above it ; 12-1;^ scales in a row between the lateral line and the back 

 below (lie eighth dorsal spine e.xcluding those on the base of the tin. 



Depth before the ventrals 2"4 in the length from the snout to the 

 hypural joint; head 3"6 in the same. Kye 4 in tlie head, l:> in the inter- 

 orbital space, which is slightly less than the length of the snout; snout 27 

 in the head, hast dorsal spine 1'8, second doisal lay 17, second anal lay 

 l"l in the head. Pectoral subequal to the ventral, 105 in the head. 



Head largely naked ; there are small patches of scales above the 

 operculum and on the lemporal region, and a narrow series extends down 

 behind the eye and expands over the cheeks. The profile is somewhat 

 convex over the eye, but the interorbital space is nearly Hat ; the eye is 

 much narrowei' than the interorbital sjxice, which is a triHe shorter than 

 the snout. Preorbital smooth, the space between the eye and the maxilla 

 is more than one-half the width of the eye. Nostrils large and close 

 together; the margins of both aie closely tinibiiate and the anterior has 

 a posterior fimbriate lobe. Ma.xilla extending backward to below the 

 anterior orbital border, expandeil posteriorly ; mandible shorter than the 



