278 Sir J. Richardson on Australian Fish. 



towards the soft rays, but there is no decided notch. None of the 

 spines are stout. The second anal spine is as long as the third one 

 and is thicker. The tenth or long pectoral ray reaches beyond tlie 

 first third of the anal ; the caudal is deeply forked. The transverse 

 diameter of the scales generally exceeds the longitudinal one. 



Mr. Neill's drawing represents five yellowish lines on each side of 

 the face, reaching backwards to the occiput, the three lower ones 

 crossing the upper part of the preorbitar and being interrupted by the 

 eye. The under and fore edge of the preorbitar is marked by a blue 

 line, which is prolonged to the temples, and there is also a short blue 

 streak immediately under the orbit, the iris itself being likewise of 

 that colour. Two blue lines traverse the summit of the back close 

 to the dorsal, disappearing under the middle of the soft portion of 

 that fin. The same colour exists on the membrane joining the first 

 three dorsal spines, on the spines of the anal, the ventrals, the long 

 pectoral ray, and the upper and under edges of the caudal, the tint 

 in all these cases being a pure indigo. The rest of the fins are of a 

 paler colour, approaching to mountain-blue. 



Cheilodactylus macropterus, Forster. 



Sciaenoides abdominalis, Solander MSS. Pisces Australice, p. II . 

 Sciaena abdominalis. Idem, op.citat. p. 29 -ffg-pict. Parkins. 2-40. 

 Scisena macroptera, Forster, Bescrip. Anim. p. 136. fig.- 206. 

 Georgio Forsf. picta. 



Badii.— Br. 6 ; D. 17|26 ; A. 3ll4 ; C. 17 ; P. 15 ; V.l|5, Soland. 

 Br.6; D.17126; A. 3il4 ; C. 30 ; P. 9etVI.; V.l|5,Forst. 



Of this species I have seen no example, and it is known to me only 

 by the descriptions and figures above referred to. It inhabits the 

 bays of the middle island of New Zealand, and was taken on Cook's 

 first and second voyage in Queen Charlotte's Sound and Dusky Bay. 

 At the latter place its native appellation was ascertained to be " Ta- 

 raghee," but the seamen called it " Cole-fish." That it is chfferent 

 from the Ch. carponeinus of the ' Histoire des Poissons' I am inclined 

 to believe, from the dissimilarity of the figure in the latter work with 

 those drawn by Parkinson and George Forster, and from the more 

 notched dorsal and stouter dorsal and anal spines than we find in 

 authentic specimens of Ch. carponemus from King George's Sound. 

 These discrepancies, and the smaller number of dorsal and anal rays, 

 authorise us to keep it distinct until an opportunity occurs of exami- 

 ning the New Zealand fish. The broad black band which descends 

 from the shoulder not quite as far as the pectoral is a good distinctive 

 mark. The reader is referred to the ' Zoological Transactions,' vol. iii. 

 p. 101, for extracts from Solander's notes, which may be compared 

 with^Forster's description in the 'Ilistoria Animalium,' &c. p. 136. 



Some specimens of Cheilodactyli from Sydney which I have seen 

 point at a species nearly allied to the two preceding ones as existing 

 in that part of Australia, but the materials I possess are not suffi- 

 cient for the elaboration of its distinctive characters. 



