Sir J. Richardson on Australian Fish. 277 



seven or eight spines are pungent, but the six following ones are 

 less so, and are not easily distinguishable in the dried specimen from 

 articulated rays in which the joints have become obsolete. The 

 fore-part of the dorsal shows some small membranous points on the 

 spines. The anal is similar to the soft dorsal, but terminates further 

 from the caudal, and if it be furnished with a spine it is concealed at 

 the base of the first soft ray, there being no appearance of one ex- 

 ternally. The caudal when fully spread is almost circular in outline. 

 Its rays are simple, with the tips projecting beyond the membrane, 

 especially those of the extreme pairs above and below. The pectoral 

 has the oblique semi-oval form of that fin in Synanceia, but is less 

 adnate to the side. Its rays are simple, with projecting tips. The 

 ventrals, formed of one spine and two unbranched rays, stand exactly 

 under the base of the lowest pectoral rays, and are small. 



The only vestiges of colour remaining in the dried specimen are 

 brown and purple bands and blotches on the dorsal, caudal and pec- 

 torals, with one or two rows of white spots on the two latter fins. 



Cheilodactylus carponemus, Cuv. et Val. v. p. 362. pi. 128. 



• iJaJn— Br. 6; D. 17|31; A.3|19; C. 14f ; P. 8 et VII.; V. 1|.5, 

 spec. 



This fish is the " Chettong," No. 39, of Neill's drawings, and the 

 " Jew-fish" of the sealers who freqxient King George's Sound. Mr. 

 Neill informs us that it is an inhabitant of rocky shores, and that 

 individuals are often taken which weigh more than 16 lbs. It is 

 readily captured by the hook. 



The specimen described and figured in the ' Histoire des Poissons' 

 was obtained by Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard in the same locahty with 

 Mr. Neill's, and the latter accords perfectly with it ; but I am per- 

 suaded that the references in that work referring to Solander and For- 

 ster's accounts of a New Zealand species ought to be struck out. 

 Some notices of the discrepancies between the memoranda of these 

 authors and the history of Ch. carponemus in the ' Histoire des Pois- 

 sons' have been given in the 'Zoological Transactions,' vol. ii. p. 101, 

 and since the date of that publication the examination of various 

 Australian specimens has strengthened the reasons I had for coming 

 to that conclusion. 



The Cheilodactyli do not accord well with the typical Scicmidcp, 

 and the evidences of the ptenoid structure of their scales are often 

 deficient, the teeth on the disks becommg perfectly obsolete, and none 

 existing on the margins of the scales of any species we have exammed. 

 In Mr. Neill's specimen the length of the head is contained four and 

 a half times in the total length of the fish, in which the caudal is 

 included. The height of the preorbitar equals the diameter of the , 

 orbit ; and its length is considerably greater, being about equal to one- 

 third of the length of the head. The teeth on the jaws are needle- 

 shaped, small, and arranged in a narrow, not crowded band. The 

 vomer is smooth. The dorsal fin is low, the sixth and tallest spine 

 being only equal to a quarter of the height of the body, and the fifth 

 and seventh spines are scarcely shorter. The spines lower a httle 



