342 Zoological Society. 



This is the species originally described by Girard {lac. «Y.) under 

 the name rosaceus, and again quite correctly in the tenth volume of 

 the ' Pacific Railroad Reports.' In this latter publication he incor- 

 rectly refers my Sebasies ruber to it as a synonym. The two are 

 widely distinct : S. ruber has the top of the head strongly ridged and 

 spinous, as already stated in this present communication ; 8. rosaceus, 

 as its generic affinities indicate, has the same region almost entirely 

 smooth, the nasal and occipital spines being barely discernible : in S. 

 ruber the preopercular spines are blunt, almost truncated ; in S. rosa- 

 ceus the same spines are long and very sharp : in S. ruber the anal fin 

 is small and rounded, its height being only about one-eighth of the 

 length of the fish, while the second and third spines of the fin are 

 nearly as high as the soft portion ; in S. rosaceus the same fin is much 

 larger and pointed, its height being more than one-sixth of the length 

 of the fish, while the third anal spine (which is higher than the 

 second) is only about half as high as the soft portion. Many other 

 points might be noticed, but these are sufficient. The outline figures 

 show very clearly the relations of the two species. 



Sebastodes rosaceus is quite common. It is a smaller fish than 

 Sebastes ruber, seldom exceeding five or six pounds in weight. 



The eleven species thus indicated are brought to the markets of 

 San Francisco at all times of the year, the fishery being little affected 

 by the seasons. They are taken with the hook, in the open sea, near 

 the Bay of San Francisco, wherever rocky bottom is found. One 

 species only, Sebastes auriculatus, is caught about the wharves of the 

 city. The spawning-season is from March to June ; and in all the 

 species the development of the young takes place within the body of 

 the mother, but to what degree I have not yet the means of stating 

 with absolute accuracy. I have traced them to such a stage of ad- 

 vancement that the mouth, the intestinal canal, the vertebral divi- 

 sions, and the vertical fins were all plainly discernible, and of course 

 the eyes strongly marked and prominent, the embryo on being re- 

 moved from the egg being fully half an inch in length. 



Notes on the Kagu. By Dr. George Bennett, F.Z.S. 



On the 13th of June 1863, I received from New Caledonia, by 

 H. I. M. Schooner ' La Caledonienne,' a pair of Kagus {Rhinochetus 

 jubatus), male and female — one presented to me by Dr. Segol, the 

 surgeon of the vessel, and the other obtained and sent to me by the 

 kind exertions of M. Ferdinand Joubert, now residing in New Cale- 

 donia. Both these gentlemen have been indefatigable in endeavour- 

 ing to procure living specimens, the value of which is much raised 

 by the increased scarcity of Kagus on the island. The day following 

 their arrival I placed them in the aviary in the Botanical Gardens. 

 The female is a fine bird, and the largest specimen of the Kagu I 

 have yet seen. It is graceful and elegant in appearance, active and 

 lively in its habits, and its plumage in excellent condition. It is 

 distinguishable from the male bird by its much larger size, and by 

 the light colour of its plumage, also of its bill, feet, and legs. She 

 has besides a peculiar habit of crouching on the ground and covering 

 herself with her wings, by throwing them over together in a concave 



