CrankE.—On two new Fishes. 248 
Art, XXX.—On two new Fishes. By F. E. Crankz. 
Plate. VI. 
[Read before the Westland Institute, 12th December, 1877.] 
BrronE proceeding with the descriptions of the new species of fishes I have 
the honour to bring under your notice this evening, a few remarks may not 
be out of place. 
Situated as we are on such a comparatively barren and exposed coast- 
line, many perhaps will be astonished to hear that the opportunities for 
collecting the rarities of pelagie life are much more frequent than might 
be expected. Our exposed position at once accounts for this; as a gale or 
strong wind from almost any of the western points of the compass sends 
home a heavy sea to our beaches, and, in all such cases, although a **heavy 
' blow” to some of the beach residents, affords delight to the collector ; thus 
again proving the old adage, **'Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any 
ood." 
The fish I purpose first describing belongs to a genus exceedingly rare, 
and up to the present has been found (after violent storms) in a few isolated 
situations in the Mediterranean and Atlantic only. The number of species 
(inclusive of our own) is five, and the individuals met with might almost be 
numbered on our fingers. More common genera of the family to which 
they belong, such as Scopelus, Maurolicus, and Gonostoma, and with them 
Cyttus abbreviatus, Hector,*—a fish the typical specimen of which was dredged 
up during the ** Challenger ” expedition off the coast of New Zealand from 
the great depth of 400 fathoms—are cast up on our coast more or less by 
every gale which sends a south-west sea home. And here let me digress, 
and perhaps infringe on one of Captain Turnbull's specialities, ** the cur- 
rents.” The continuous set of current from south-west up the coast has 
not been as prevalent lately as four or five years back. Then the occurrence 
of the purely pelagic fishes—Crustaceans and Hydrozoa—was much more 
frequent. Of late years the direction of wind has averaged more north 
round by east, than south round by west, thus retarding the “ set,” and 
driving any waifs and strays on surface currents from the coast. Only at 
intervals has the ‘‘set’’ regained its former constancy with strong south- 
westers, and we have again our casual flotsam. 
The fish secondly described forms anew genus in the family of Pediculati 
and is truly ‘‘a king among kings " in a class of fishes containing some of 
the most grotesque forms in nature. The probable use of the tentacular 
appendage as an attractive lure, is beyond conjecture, as the habits of an 
* * Trans. N.Z. Inst.,” VIL, p. 247, and IX, p. 465. 
