Oct., 1909.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 79 



in a delicate membrane. The longest rays measure 2 inches. 

 The caudal and anal fins are small, the latter situated near the 

 caudal and immediately behind the vent. The pectoral fin is 

 placed low down, close behind the operculum. The extremely 

 small ventral fin is situated slightly below the posterior base of 

 the pectoral, and measures only 5^ inch in length. The eye is 

 large, with an oval-shaped pupil, and measures 1]/^ inches in 

 diameter. The mouth is small, slightly protractile, and is 

 furnished with 3 or 4 rows of small, conical, incurved, sharp- 

 pointed teeth along the front of both jaws. There is a single 

 small, sharp tooth on the vomer and each palatine. 



The lateral line is straight, and extends to the caudal ; above 

 the hinder edge of the eye it ascends abruptly towards the angle 

 of the crest, which it does not quite reach. 



With the exception of one or two rows of rather large, delicate 

 scales along the base of the dorsal, the body is apparently 

 without scales. Three or four small and extremely delicate 

 scales were, however, noticed loosely attached to the lower part 

 of the body, which indicate that the body is possibly scaled in 

 its perfect condition. 



When fresh the colour of the upper portion of the body was 

 bright blue, silvery on the lower parts ; front of the head darker, 

 with a reddish tinge ; opercula and below the eye bright silvery ; 

 the lips and extreme anterior edge of the crest slightly tinged with 

 purple : fins bright rosy red ; eye silvery. 



When first seen the fish was flapping about in 3 feet of water, 

 close in shore, being prevented from reaching deep water by a 

 sand-bar. No doubt its occurrence on our shores was due to 

 recent heavy storms. 



According to Mr. Baldwin, the fish, while being secured, ejected 

 a dark, inky fluid from the vent, which discoloured the water all 

 around it. 



In 1893, and again in 1896, single examples of a species of 

 Lophotes were recorded from New Zealand. These have since 

 been recorded by Hutton,* and later by Waite,t under the name 

 of Lophotes fiskei, Giinth., a species described by Gunther,J from 

 Kalk Bay, South Africa. 



So far as I can find, this is the first occurrence of this rare genus 

 in Australian waters. 



Memorial to Sir Joseph Banks. — It is proposed to erect in 

 Sydney a statue or some other appropriate memorial to Sir 

 Joseph Banks, who has not inaptly been termed the " father of 

 Australia." That Sir Joseph Banks was most solicitous for the 



* Index Fauna Novas Zeal., 1904, p. 47. 



t Records Canterbury Mus., vol. i., No. i, 1907, p. 33. 



t Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1890, p. 244. 



