272 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS: ZOOLOGY. 



the Galaxias, commonly described as true fresh-water forms, which have 

 long been known from the extreme south of South America, New Zea- 

 land, Tasmania and southern Australia. The discovery, within the last 

 few years, of a species of the same genus in fresh water near Cape Town, 

 whence it had previously been described as a loach by F. de Castelnau, 

 has added to the interest, and has been adduced as a further argument in 

 support of the former existence of an Antarctic continent. In alluding to 

 this discovery, when discussing the distribution of African fresh-water 

 fishes in the introduction to my work 'Les Poissons du Bassin du Congo,' 

 in 1 90 1, I observed that, contrary to the prevailing notion, all species of 

 Galaxias are not confined to fresh-water, and that the fact of some living 

 both in the sea and in rivers suffices to explain the curious distribution 

 of the genus ; pointing out that in all probability these fishes were formerly 

 more widely distributed in the seas south of the tropic of Capricorn, and 

 that certain species, adapting themselves entirely to fresh-water life, have 

 become localized at the distant points where they are now known to exist. 

 Although as recently as October last the distinguished American ichthy- 

 ologist D. S. Jordan, wrote (Science, XIV, p. 20) : ' We know nothing of 

 the power of Galaxias to survive submergence in salt water, if carried in 

 a marine current,' it is an established fact, ascertained some years ago by 

 F. E. Clarke in New Zealand and by R. Vallentin in the Falkland Islands, 

 that Galaxias attenuatits lives also in the sea. In New Zealand it 

 periodically descends to the sea, where it spawns, from January to March 

 and returns from March to May. In accordance with these marine habits, 

 this species has a much wider range than any of the others, being known 

 from Chile, Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, New 

 Zealand, Tasmania, and southern Australia. 



"I now wish to draw attention to a communication made by Captain 

 F. W. Hutton in the last number of the Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute (XXXIV, p. 198), 'On a Marine Galaxias from the Auckland 

 Islands.' This fish named Galaxias bollansi, was taken out of the mouth 

 of a specimen of Merganser australis during the collection excursion to 

 the southern islands of New Zealand made in January, 1901, by His 

 Excellency the Earl of Ranfurly. 



"It is hoped that by giving greater publicity to these discoveries the 

 family Galaxiidcs will no longer be included among those strictly confined 

 to fresh waters, and that students of the geographical distribution of animals 



