8 



Uv. C. Tate IIegan, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.H., exliibited pLoto- 

 graplis of an Indo-Pacific Cliaitodont Fisli [Uolacanthtis semi- 

 circulatus Cuv. et Yal.). Two of these had been sent to hiiu 

 by Major H. K, Oa.rtwright, Commandant of Police, Zanzibai^ ; 

 they were of a specimen that had been sold in the fish-mai-ket 

 for a penny ; the man who bought it was going to eat it and cut 

 off the tail and threw it on the ground ; another man picked it 

 np and called out that it had writing on it, and indeed on one 

 side of the caudal fin was written in old Arabic characters 

 "Laillaha Illalah " — There is no God but Allah — and on the 

 other side " Shani- Allah " — A warning sent from Allah. The 

 news caused great excitement in tlie market place ; the fish 

 changed hands at i-apidly increasing prices until 5000 rupees was 

 offered ; the fish was regarded as sacred and Major Cartwright, 

 Avho put it in formalin for the owner and had it photographed, 

 thought it might become the object of pilgrimages. 



The other photographs exhibited by Mr. Regan were of ex- 

 amples of this species in the collection of the British Museum 

 (Natural History), and illustrated the changes in coloration that 

 take place during growth. In young specimens the ground- 

 colour is almost black, the body is crossed by a few curved white 

 stripes, and the posterior half of the caudal fin is clear. In larger 

 fish 3 or 4 inches long the general ground-colour is paler, but is 

 dark-spotted ; the stripes have increased in number by the addi- 

 tion of narrow ones between the original ones, and still narrower 

 ones between these, so that there may be as many as 24 stripes 

 instead of the original 6 ; also the posterior part of the tail is 

 now darked and is crossed by 3 pale stripes, of which the posterior 

 2 may be discontinuous or connected or replaced by longitudinal 

 bars ; it is these which may simulate Arabic characters. This 

 stage Avas described as Holacanthus cdternans Cuv. & Val., and 

 from now onwards the ground-colour becomes paler and the dark 

 spots better defined, the pale sti'ipes disappear anterioi-ly, and 

 posteriorly still increase in number but break up into spots and 

 vermiculations, so that a fish of seven inches long has quite a 

 diflerent appearance, and indeed was desciibed by Bleeker as 

 a. distinct species, II. lejyidolepis. 



