DR. RICHARDSON'S DESCRIPTION OF AUSTRALIAN FISH. 93 



Ist Specimen. 2nd Specimen. 

 Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. 



Height of soft rays of anal 8 1 



Height of body 1 1 7| 



Thickness of body 6 8 



Thickness of head 9 1 1 



Sebastes maculatus (Cuvier?), Southern Sebastes. 



The collection contains specimens of a fish which is noted in Mr. Lempriere's list as 

 having when recent " a bright red colour with brown spots," and as being " very good 

 for the table," where it is served under the local name of ' gurnett.' On examining 

 the specimens carefully with reference to the brief account given of the Sebastes macu- 

 latus in the ' Histoire des Poissons,' no discrepancy was detected, except that the post- 

 orbitar spines do not altogether correspond with the description of those of imperialis, 

 which maculatus is said nearly to resemble. This difference, though sufficient to excite 

 some doubts of the identity of the Van Diemen's Land fish with the Cape of Good Hope 

 maculatus, is not so important as to authorise the application of a new specific name 

 to the former until the matter shall be decided by an actual comparison of specimens. 



Description. — Forvi in general that of /S. imperialis, the profile descending in a slightly 

 convex line, somewhat flattened on the cranium, from the dorsal fin to the end of the 

 snout, which touches the longitudinal axis of the fish. The lower jaw ascends when 

 the mouth is shut, and a conspicuous knob under its symphysis then forms the anterior 

 apex of the head. The height of the body abreast of the pectorals is rather greater 

 than in Norvegicus, being equal to one-third of the length from the snout to the middle 

 of the caudal, or to the distance between the end of the snout and the tip of the lower 

 opercular spine. The thickness of the body is equal to about one-half of its height. The 

 orbit is round, and its diameter equals the space between it and the supra-scapular spines 

 in one direction, or the intermaxillary symphysis in the other. The flap of the operculum 

 goes about two-thirds of a diameter of the orbit beyond the supra-scapular spines. The 

 interval between the orbits equals half a diameter, as in imperialis. The proportions of 

 other parts may be readily obtained from the table of dimensions. Both nostrils have 

 elevated margins, especially the anterior one, whose inner edge rises into a small ear- 

 like flap. 



The spines generally are short, stout and acute, with wide, ridged bases, but their 

 points merely are seen in the recent fish. The two nasal spines are short but quite 

 visible. The triangular and strongly keeled anterior frontal forms the largest spine on 

 the margin of the orbit ; there are two other spines at the posterior upper angle much 

 less conspicuous, and in some specimens almost obsolete. Immediately behind tliem 

 there is a fourth spine, which terminates a thin ridge that commences at the nasal bones, 

 and curves over the eye close to the edge of the orbit. This ridge is described as ex- 

 isting in imperialis and some other species, but not in Norvegicus. Closely following the 



