216 Transactions 



On receiving tliis iuformatiou, I at once made inquiries of the local 

 fish-mercliants, and learned that among the consignments from Kaikoura 

 a large groper was occasionally received, and was called a " bass," dis- 

 tinguishable by its "wider" body — that* is, deeper, or "wider" as it lies 

 on the fishmongers" slabs — larger eye, and bigger scales. 



Being desirous of obtaining a description of the fish for the present paper, 

 I journeyed to Kaikoura at the first available opportunity, and, though I 

 went out with the deep-sea fishermen on several occasions, we were not 

 sufficiently fortunate to obtain the specimen sought, though the extra-deep 

 water (120-150 fathoms) in which the bass is caught was prospected. 



At the close of one day which I had spent ashore investigating the nume- 

 rous and large rock-pools with which the peninsula abounds, one of the 

 boats brought in the much-desired bass. I at once saw that it was quite 

 distinct from the groper, and made notes and measurements, but refrained 

 from preserving the specimen, as I was told that one of the other fishing- 

 boats had secured two better specimens. To hesitate was to lose : when 

 th ^ vessel landed its cargo at the wharf I found that the two bass on which 

 I had counted had been decapitated and " cleaned " while still aboard. I 

 therefore had to return to Christchurch, certainly Avi'h a description, but 

 without a type to suppoit it. I had, however, deeply interested the fisher- 

 men in the object of my quest, and received a promise that the first speci- 

 men obtained would be sent to me. This did not occur until seven weeks 

 later, when I received notification from Messrs. Jensen and Kingsnorth that 

 a bass was being sent to me 



The specimen was received on the 5th March, 1913, and furnishes 

 material for the accompanying figure and following description. 



B. vii; D. xi, 12; A. iii, 9; V. i, 5 ; P. 18; C. 15 -f 4. L. lat. 96; 

 L. tr. 16-^43. Vert. 13 -h 13 =26. 



Length of head, 2-45 ; height of body, 2-78 ; and length of caudal, 6 •85 

 in the length ; diameter of eye, 6'1 ; interorbital space, 4-38 ; and length 

 of snout, 3 '8 in the head. 



Head very massive, slightly compressed and flat above, eye large, near 

 the iipper profile, wholly in the anterior half of the head. Nostrils round, 

 close together, a short distance in front of the eye, the anterior provided 

 with a lip behind. Mouth very large, horizontal, protractile, the lower jaw 

 strongly projecting; the maxilla is very broad, its widest portion equal 

 to the diameter of the eye ; it has a large supplemental bone, and its 

 distal extremity is notched ; it extends to below the hinder edge of the eye. 

 Opercles thick, and roughly serrate with a flat horizontal bar. Gills 4, a slit 

 behind the fourth. Gill-rakers none, replaced by spinous bosses, which 

 coalesce anteriorly into a band, two at the angle of the outer arch much 

 enlarged ; pseudobranchiae present. 



Body somewhat compressed and very deep, its highest point being about 

 the insertion of the fifth spine. 



Teeth. — Broad bands of villiform teeth in the jaws, on the vome: and 

 palatines ; three patches on the tongue arranged in a triangle, the hinder 

 patch large. 



Fins. — The dorsal arises over the edge of the opercle ; the first spine is 

 small ; the seventh and eleventh are equal and longest, slightly longer than 

 the diameter of the eye, or 5-74 in the length of the head ; the spines can 

 be received into a sheath ; the rays are much higher than the spines ; the 

 fourth and fifth are longest, and equal 3-4 in the head ; the hinder rays 



