292 REPORTS OF C3MMTTTTES. 



the Bay of Islands over 20 years ago, which came up among the weed 

 and in the trawl nets. All the fish, also, were found to be gorged with 

 these Crustacea. 



No record is possible at present of the enormous numbers of cope- 

 poda, zoceas, and other minute free-swimming forms, which certainly 

 are a great source of food, especially for larval and very young fish, for 

 no observations have been taken of them. 



The following fishes were examined during the months named as 

 to the contents of their stomachs. The information thus gained is 

 manifestly only a very small contribution towards a knowledge of the 

 subject, (a) 



1. Hapuka or groper {Polyprion prognathus). February, March, 



April and November. Nearly always contained other 

 species of fish, mostly red cod or soles. One contained a 

 quantity of Ni/ctiphanes. 



2. Tarakihi {Chilodactylus macropterus). This fish was only ex- 



amined in April, when specimens were found to contain 

 Grimothea and opossum shrimps (apparently Nyctiphanes). 



3. Moki {JLatris ciliaris). Opportunities of examining this fish 



seldom occurred, because when taken on the trawlers they 

 were never cleaned. On the occasions when the contents 

 of the stomach were examined they were found to consist of 

 some other species of fish — apparently red cod. 



4. Maori Chief {Nothothenia maoriensis). November to February. 



With the single exception of a common shore crab [Cyclo- 

 grapsus lavauxi), the stomachs of all examined contained 

 Grimothea. 



5. Blue cod {Parapercis colias). Those in confinement fed readily 



on fish and Grimothea. The only captured fish examined 

 (in February) had no food in their stomachs. 



6. Barracouta {Thijr sites atun). The adult fish, examined in May 



and June, contained red cod — often large specimens. The 

 young of this species are very abundant in the summer and 

 autumn months in tidal waters. They themselves furnish 

 food to larger species. Specimens examined in May were 

 found to be feeding on the common rock-pool species — the 

 cocka-bulli or kokoporu {Tripterygion sp.) 



7. Kingfish {Promethichthys prometheus). February to May, and 



November. This fine fish, which seldom appeared in the 

 Dunedin markets before the advent of the trawlers, is now 

 commonly sold. Most of those taken contained red cod. 

 Some taken on March 5th had eaten young of their own 

 species ; others on April 26th had young mullet [Agonosto- 

 mus) and young barracouta ; while some taken on Novem- 

 ber 14th contained young barracouta and garfish {Hemiram- 

 phus intermedius) . 



(a) Some further information, but not of a very accurate character, is to be 

 found in a paper " Notes on Sea Fishes " in Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxiv., p. 202, 

 by G. M. Thomson. 



