WaITE and HALK — LOPHOBKANCHIATE FiSHES 323 



the vent, lodges of each scute riilged the ridges produced as s]Mties or protuljcr- 

 ances at tlie points of intersection with the angles of the body: every alternate or 

 third spine on the dorsal as])ect more pronounced, those on each side of the fin 

 often strongly produced u])\vards : an examination of a large series of s])ecimens 

 indicates that the filaments attached U> the spines vary greatly in length, nuniher 

 and character, irrespecti\e of age or sex; some of the variati()ns are as follows: 

 la) no traces of filaments: (b) simple filaments as long as, or longer than, the 

 snout, situated on the su|)raorl)ital. occipital, ui:)i)er opercular and anterior dorsal 

 spines and five or six on the coronet: (c) tufted, branched or simple filaments, 

 occurririg on all spine?-' excepting the ventrals. In the male the body is consider- 

 ablv produced above the large 1)rood pouch, where it is more than twice as deep 

 as wide: several examples have the pounch tightly packed with ova, easily seen 

 through, the semi-transparent skin. In the female the body is not so deep. Largest 

 specimen 70 mm .in length, dredged in St. \'incent Gulf by Sir Joseph Vcrco. 

 Examples also from ,'~^pencer Ciulf. 



Colours. Head dark purplish 1)rown. with numerous white, dark-edged 

 ocelli : opercles with additional brown spots : underside of snout and chin pale 

 with dark brown markings: several white lines running through the e\'e or the 

 latter encircled l)y a series of lirown dots. Body and tail dark imrplish ])rowu, 

 with ninnerous small, wdiite, dark-edged ocelli : underside of trimk pale, with 

 darker markings anteriorly. Tail with about thirteen lighter cross bars below, or 

 w ith indications of lighter rings. 



Hub. South and.^^'estern .Australia, New South ^\'ales, X'ictoria, 1";isniauia. 



RECENT LITERATURE, 



!>jnc]<er listed the literature of the Australian Sy.ignathidae up to i<;Oi); 

 additions to his list are given below, Castelnau's "Researches on the fishes of 

 .Australia," which perhaps Duncker had not seen, and which title in any case does 

 not con\-e)' the following information, was published in 1H75, f(jr the Thiladelphia 

 Centennial Exhil:)ition, 1876. 



Dunrker, Fauna Siidwest Anstraliens, ii, Pisces, 1909, p. 2i3-25(). 

 Giintber, Fisclie d. Siidsee, iii, 1910, p. 4i.S-436. 

 McC/oy. Pro'l. Zool. \'ict., <lec. vii, iSSj, pi. Ixv. 

 McCulloch, Rec. Aust. AIus., vii, u;oi;, ]>. 317, 378. 



Endeavour Res., i. 1911, p. 26-29, and ii, 7914, p. 94. 



Rec. W'.A. Mus., i, 1912, p. Hi. S3. 



Aust. ZooL, i. 1914, ]), 29-3T, 



