XXX PROCEEDINGS, JUNE, 



stealing and petty theft being the only offences known. The last 

 murderer dated a long time back, and was carried to Norway for 

 execution, while the prison had been turned into a museum. In the 

 writer's opinion the sources of wealth in Iceland were not yet developed 

 or not sufEciently developed. The land was not fully stocked, the 

 fisheries were not attended to, and, until recently, when a Leith 

 merchant paid in coin, the commerce had been carried on by barter. 

 Since then money had been accumulating in Iceland. With a good 

 banking institution, good boats for harvesting the fisheries, and taxation, 

 a new development would ensue. Up to the present there was not 

 any system of taxation, and, consequently, roads and bridges did not 

 exist, while immense marshes were waiting to be drained. There were 

 no very rich people, and no poor people, a greater equality existing 

 than in any republic. Out of a population of 64,000 it was curious to 

 observe that there were 57,000 freehold farmers, 523 labourers, 11 

 doctors, 27 dealers, 230 carpenters and joiners, 80 blacksmiths, 80 

 goldsmiths, two prisoners, and no record of any lawyers. There were 

 only 63 surnames in the whole country, many people not having any. A 

 very interesting description of the Valley of Kingvalla where the 

 Althing met — a plain five miles wide depressed by sudden volcanic 

 action — was given, and the paper concluded with some facts relating to 

 the social nature of the people and their hospitality. As a proof of 

 their courtesy and disinterestedness, he related that he had dropped a 

 diamond ring and could not discover it again. Upon his return to 

 Edinburgh he received a letter from his host enclosing the ring, which 

 had been found by a farmer wLo refused to take any money for it, 

 saying that he had already more than received his reward in the 

 satisfaction he had in having been able to restore his ring to the 

 "Walking Priest." 



TASMANIAN FISHES. 



Notes on the identity of certain Tasmanian fish by Mr. Saville-Kent: — 

 Two species were referred to in Mr. Saville-Kent's notes, the first 

 being the large species of parrot fish, commonly taken in Tasmanian 

 waters, and known to the fishermen by the name of the " blue-head." 

 Mr. Saville-Kent stated that he had failed hitherto in his endeavour 

 to establish its identity with either of the several species of 

 parrot fishes included in Mr. Johnston's catalogue. While recently 

 in Sydney he submitted a coloured drawing of the fish to Mr. 

 Douglas Ogilvy, of the Australian Museum, who recognised it as a 

 previously unrecorded species which he had described in the 

 proceedings of the Linntean Society of New South Wales, 

 under the title of Labrichthys cerulceus. The second form 

 referred to was the so-called " magpie perch" of the Hobart fish market, 

 and which is included in Mr. J ohnston's catalogue under the title of 

 Chllodactylus gibhosus. At the Manly Aquarium in Sydney Mr. 

 Saville-Kent had observed this technical name placarded against 

 an entirely distinct fish, and on searching out the original figures a 

 description of it given by Richardson ascertained that the Tasmanian 

 type was a new and hitherto undescribed species, and for which he now 

 proposed the technical title of Chilodactylus vizonarius. With re- 

 ference to the two broad black bands that incirle the fishes body, 

 coloured drawings, from life, of the two species in question were 

 exhibited by Mr. Saville-Kent. Mr. Saville-Kent also exhibited to the 

 meeting examples of oyster-brood recently reared by him on the 

 •Government reserve at Spring Bay, and referred to them as an earnest 

 of yet more substantial results that might be anticipated by a perseverance 

 with the operations recently inaugurated. The specimens in qnestion 

 were the pine branches covered with oyster brood described in these 

 •columns a few weeks since. Mr. Saville-Kent regretted that Mr. John- 



