A Contribution to the History of Plagyodus. 35 
97. Ceratrichia? stellata, Mab. 
3, Rabai, 7th June, 1900. 
It has been suggested by Dr. Holland that my C. punctu- 
lata may be a variety of this species; but [ think, if he 
could compare the two, he would alter this, [ will not say 
opinton—for he does not speak with decision,—but perhaps 
view would be the word to use. C. punctulata is a more 
robust species, without chequered but with spotted fringes, 
and with no ochreous colouring below ; the spots on the under 
surface are chalky white without dark borders and the veins 
are whitish. 
IV.—A Contribution to the History of Plagyodus (Steller). 
By Dr. A. GUNTHER, F.R.S. 
In the March number of this Journal for 1867 I showed that 
the remarkable oceanic fish which Lowe described in 1833 
under the name of Alepisaurus had already been known to 
Steller (ca. 1745), who named it Plagyodus. Steller gave 
a perfectly recoguizable description of it, which was pub- 
lished by Pallas in vol. il. of the ¢ Zoographia Rosso- 
Asiatica’ (1811) *. 
However, even Steller was not the first observer who has 
obtained and taken notice of this interesting type. William 
Funnell, who served as mate on Captain Dampier’s Expe- 
dition into the South Seas in the years 1703-4, gives a 
description and figure of it in his account of that enterprise 
(‘A Voyage round the World’: London, 1707. 8°). He 
says on page 6 :—‘‘ On October the 22d (being in the Lati- 
tude of 6 d. 36 m. N. and Longitude from London W. about 
19 d. 57 m.) we caught four fish; a Shark, a Dolphin, a 
Jelly-fish and an Old-wife.” He then proceeds to describe 
these fishes, the passage referring to the Jelly-fish (p. 8) 
running as follows :—‘ The Jelly-fish (see fig. III.) was 
about fourteen inches long, and about 2 inches deep; with a 
* Messrs. Jordan and Evermann (Fish. N. & M. Amer. i. p. 594) call 
it “a brief description”; it occupies a page of this journal, and, what 
is more, it is very much to the point. I have no desire to discuss the 
question whether Plagyodus, which in due form was introduced into zoolo- 
gical literature by Pallas, should supersede <Alepisawrus, or whether it 
should be discarded, because (as is pretended) names formed by Steller 
are to be estimated as ‘ mononomial designations ” rather than generic 
terms ! 
*") % 
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