Hector. — Notes on New Zealand Ichthyology. 241 



about the head, and several broad vertical bands of brown. A black spot on 

 the snout. 



Chatham Islands. Presented by F. Hunt, Esq. 



This fish approaches P. annulatus, Giinth. (I., 158), the habitat of which is 

 unknown, but has one less branchiostegal, a more elongated form, spinous 

 and soft dorsals of equal length, different number of fin rays, and greater 

 development of second anal fin. In some of these respects it resembles P, 

 dentix, Rich. (Voy. Ereb. and Terr., p. 117), which is from King George's 

 Sound. 



4a. SCORPIS PAIRCHILDI. sp. nov. 



Native name— Mata. 

 S. hectori, Hutton, Trans. N. Z. I., Y., p. 259, pi. vii. 



Captain Hut ton's description of the fish from the Bay of Plenty is very 

 different from that of his original type from the West Coast Sounds, and a 

 comparison of the specimens and further observation of the habits and appear- 

 ance of the West Coast fish have convinced me that they are distinct species, 

 and that the general outline of JS. hectori is correctly given in pi. I.^ fig. 4, 

 Cat. Fish. N. Z., while the figure quoted above is an equally correct 

 representation of the second species, which I propose to name after Captain 

 Fairchild, of the colonial gunboat Luna, who presented the specimen to the 

 Colonial Museum. 



In S. hectori the profile of the head descends abruptly, and the body is 

 short, the height being contained only twice in the length ; the pectoral fin is 

 the same length as the head, and has the middle rays the longest. In many 

 hundred specimens I have observed the round black spot on the side is always 

 present. It is a beautiful fish when seen in the deep transparent water of the 

 Sounds swimming about among the rocks in large shoals like gold-fish. 



In S. fairchildi the shape of the body is fusiform and elongate, the height 

 being only one third of the length ; the abdominal cavity is one third of the 

 length ; the peritoneum having a nacreous lustre j oesophagus lined with 

 brush-like tufts ; stomach tubular, with a contracted pyloric branch reflexed at 

 an acute angle j walls fleshy and rugose j seven pyloric appendages j liver 

 small ; intestines membranous, with many convolutions, being eleven times 

 the length of the cavity. Generative organs (male) equal to stomach in 

 length ; air bladder large. 



6b. HAPLODACTYLUS MEANDRATUS, Banks and Sol. 



PI. X. 

 Native name— Kehei. 

 Aplodactylus meandratus, Rich., Zool. Trans. III., 83. 

 P.?-|; D. 16-1/20; V. 1-5 j A. II. 1/7 j L.L. 176; L.T. 60. 



Length equal to four and one third that of head, and to three times the 



height ; body nearly round, thick in front ; snout truncate, tumid, interorbital 



Fl 



