Farquhar. — Tiuo Ntw Ecliiiiodenns'. 215 



of the disc. The colour in life of the skin on the disc is blue, and the scales 

 reddish- b^o^\^l. The arms are pale-reddish, with, darker bands, the outer 

 parts being sometimes pale-yellowish with grey bands, and the upper arm- 

 plates have a dark reddish-brown median longitudinal stripe. Beneath 

 the colour is pale reddish-yellow, sometimes with a purplish tinge. Dried 

 and spirit specimens soon become pale yellowish-grey. 



This species is near A. aster, but differs in the scaling of the disc and the 

 shape of the mouth-parts. 



Professor H. B. Kirk, of Victoria College, discovered this species in the 

 sand at Ioav water at the entrance of Porirua Harbour, on the north side, 

 where it is fairly abundant. I went out with him in March, 1912, and we 

 dug out a number of specimens. They lie vertically in the sand, about 

 4 in. to 6 in. below the surface, with 2 arms on one side of the disc and 3 

 on the other side. A specimen placed on the wet sand wriggled itself out 

 of sight in a few minutes, and was about half an inch below the surface in 

 twenty minutes. 



The type specimens are in the Dominion Museum, at Wellington. 



Art. XXVI. — Notes ov Neiv Zealand Fishes : No. 3. 



By Edgar E. Waite, F.L.S., Curator, Canterbury Museum. 



[Read before the PhilosopJiical Institute of Canterbury, 4th December, 19 12 A 



Plates V-IX. 



10. Trachichthodes affinis Gimther. 

 On receipt of a copy of my " Additions to the Basic List of the Fishes of 

 New Zealand," Mr. McCulloch informed me that the generic name Austro- 

 beryx, there used, was antedated by Dr. Gilchrist, and that he correction 

 will be noted before this paper is printed. 



The position, therefore, as affecting our " Basic List " stands as follows : — 



Page 18. TRACHICHTHODES Gilchrist, 1904. 



106. Trachichthodes affinis Giinther. 

 Berijx afpms Giinther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., I, 1859, p. 13. 

 Austroheryx affinis McCulloch, Zool. Results "Endeavour," I, 1911, p. 39. 

 TrachichtJiodes affinis McCulloch (in the press). 



11. Polyprion americanus Bloch and Schneider. 

 Plates V and VI. 

 The first intimation I had of this fish as an inhabitant of New Zea- 

 land waters was the following information, contained in a letter from Mr. 

 George M. Thomson, M.P., under date 24th December, 1912, after this 

 paper was read : " The fishermen who go out to the 1 00-1 50-f at horn water off 

 this coast frequently catch gigantic trumpeter, nearly 3 It. long [the common 

 trumpeter is Latris lifieata Forster], and also a huge groper, which they 

 call ' bass groper,' and which appears to be specifically distinct from the 

 ordinary hapuka [Polyprion oxygeneios Bloch and Schneider]. They say it 

 is common off Wellington, and is there known as ' black bass.' " 



