Fishes, by Dr. A. Giinther. 415 
FISHES. By Dr. A. GonrHer. 
The results of Mr. Green’s short cruise in the present year 
are fresh evidence of the incompleteness of our knowledge of 
the British Fauna whilst the deep water is allowed to remain 
unexplored. The importance of undertaking this investigation 
consists not merely in the addition of a number of unknown 
forms to our list, but equally and even more in the certainty 
that many of the mysteries which observations limited to 
the littoral fauna must for ever leave unexplained will be 
cleared up by a study of the pelagic and bathybial conditions. 
Thus the mode and season of propagation of many fishes, 
their vertical and horizontal distribution, their periodical or 
casual migrations and their causes, are at present blank 
chapters in their history, solely because part of their life is 
spent at a distance from the shallow water of the shore. 
Of the eleven species of fishes collected during the present 
cruise, one (a Sole) has proved to be new to science, and fiveare 
new to the British Fauna; unknown facts with regard to the 
propagation of Chimera have been ascertained; and of all 
exact data as to their bathymetrical range have been obtained. 
It is a singular fact that the five species new to the Fauna 
are species well known from more southern latitudes, from 
Madeira and the Mediterranean. Those who have perused 
my report on the Fishes collected by Mr. John Murray in 
deep water (50-100 fath.) on the west coast of Scotland, may 
recollect that the more characteristic forms, with few excep- 
tions, were members of the northern or even arctic fauna. 
Whether this faunistic difference is due to the slight difference 
in latitude (six degrees), or to the circumstance that the 
Scotch fishes were collected at a considerably lesser depth, I 
am unable to decide at present. 
The fishes collected are the following :— 
Pristiurus melanostomus, Raf. 
A young specimen from 150 fath. Collett had obtained 
the same species at Tromsé from a depth of 250 fath. 
Chimera monstrosa, L. 
The egg-capsule of Chimera was previously unknown ; 
that figured by Joh. Miiller (Abhandl. Berl. Ak. 1840, 
taf. 6. fig. 3) and by Duméril (Hist. Nat. Poiss. i. pl. 8. 
fig. 8) is that of Callorhynchus, and not of Chimera. 
Mr. Green obtained one at 315 fath. 
The whole capsule is 64 inches long, and consists of a 
