238 I'ransactions. — Zoology. 



lu other respects, as to form of head, position of mouth, gills and fins, our 

 specimen accords perfectly well with the specific characters of Lamna coniuhica 

 as given by Dr. Giinther, and I have therefore assigned the remains in 

 question to this species, although that eminent ichthyologist observes that in 

 young specimens the basal cusps are absent. 



PosTCRiPT. 2nd November, 1874. — Since this paper was written the 

 Canterbury Museum has received the remains of another specimen referable to 

 the same sjDecies, which was obtained in Lyttelton Harbour; it was 7 feet 

 6 inches long. In its dental arrangement, although the teeth are somewhat 

 larger, it accords entirely with the former example. 



Art. XXXIII. — On the Occurrence of Leptocephalus longirostris, Kaui^^ on 



the Coast of New Zealand, 

 By Julius Haast, Ph.D., P.KS., Director of the Canterbury Museum. 



\Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterhury, \^th September, 1874.] 



As far as I am aware no specimen of the Le2)tocephalidai, Bonaparte, a curious 

 family of anguilliform fishes, called glass-eels by the sailors, and distinguished 

 by a low form of organisation, has yet been noticed as having been obtained 

 on the coasts of New Zealand. 



Tliese curious small fishes, which are more or less transparent, sometimes 

 as thin as paper, possess only a cartilaginous vertebral column, and seem to be 

 inhabitants of the high seas only. 



A specimen presented by Mr. John Grigg, of Long Beach station, to the 

 Canterbury Museum, which was picked up on the Ninety-mile beach during 

 the strong north-east storm towards the latter part of the month of August, 

 proved on examination to agree with Leptocephalus longirostris, of Kaup, 

 which was first obtained at Messina, in the Mediterranean. The following 

 specific characteristics are given by Dr. GUnther in the Catalogue of Fishes in 

 the British Museum, Vol. VIII., p. 141 : — Body much compressed, elevated 

 and short, the upjjer and lower profiles abruptly rising behind the head ; 

 head low, rather long ; eye of moderate size ; tongue not free in front ; 

 jaws toothed ; muscular striaj vertical. 



In the Catalogue of Apodal Fish, by the late Professor J. Kauj), the 

 S])ecies in question is figured on Plate XVIII., Nos. 14 and 14rt. 



Total length of our specimen, 8-25 inches j greatest depth, -85 inch; 

 length of head, -27 inch. 



The remarkably transparent head — well preserved in our specimen, and 

 very small when compared to the length and height of the body — gains, 

 however, prominence by the large silvery eye, by which that transparency 

 becomes still more conspicuous. 



