308 Dr. A. Giinther on a new form of Mudfish. 
occur to any one who had not the opportunity of comparing this 
fish with the allied forms. I have frequently seen individuals 
of carp, Anabas, &c., taken under similar circumstances, the 
appearance of which was so much altered that they could not be 
readily identified. However, the fish sent by H.E. Sir George Grey 
is not merely such an abnormal individual, although it may be 
regarded as a degraded form of the more highly developed type 
of Galaxias. Even if it did not generically differ by its peculiar 
dentition and absence of ventrals, still we should be obliged to 
distinguish it specifically on account of the large number of fin- 
rays and the small size of its eye. By the latter charaeter Neo- 
channa is distinguished in a remarkable manner from the true 
Galaxias, which appear to inhabit more open and clear waters 
(those from Terra del Fuego are found in “alpine lakes”) and 
have the eyes fully developed; while the almost rudimentary 
eyes of Neochanna indicate clearly that it lives habitually in mud 
or swampy places; and I have no doubt that Dr. Hector is 
correct in thinking that it will be found in such localities in the 
neighbourhood of Hokitika. It is not surprising that the spe- 
cimens obtained were killed by the sudden immersion in clear 
water; perhaps they might have survived if the change had 
been made in a more gradual manner. 
All Galazias are extremely fat, so that it is impossible to 
handle them, even for a very short time, without the fat pene- 
trating through the skin, and soiling everything which comes 
into contact with them. I was much surprised to find this also 
to be the case in our specimen of Neochanna (which I should 
have supposed to have undergone a protracted trial of fasting), 
—and still more so when the stomach proved to be distended 
with food, which appeared to consist of the semidigested remains 
of the larvee of a small dipterous insect. 
In conclusion I would draw attention to the remarkable fact 
that in numerous groups of fishes which live in mud, or are even 
enabled to pass a longer or shorter time in soil periodically dried 
and hardened during the hot season, forms occur entirely devoid 
of or with only rudimentary ventral fins. Thus in the family 
of Labyrinthici two genera, Osphromenus and Trichogaster, have 
the ventral fins reduced to a thin filament. I have also seen 
specimens of Anabas abnormally devoid of ventral fins, though 
the pubic bones were present. Among the Ophiocephalide 
Channa is entirely destitute of these organs. There are several 
ventral-finless Siluroid and Cyprinodont genera ; but, unfortu- 
nately, we are acquainted with their habits only in a very general 
manner. Gymmnarchus is_nothing but a Mormyrus without any 
of the lower fins. The chief function of these fins is to balance 
