196 Transactions. — Zoology. 



tion, have prevented naturalists from observing them. It is very difficult 

 to obtain specimens, and nearly impossible to find perfect ones. Nothing 

 is known of their development and of the changes they undergo with age. 

 Only a few specimens have been carefully examined." 



The " third species from New Zealand" to which Dr. Giinther refers, 

 is one of another genus to the one now in question, i. e. Regalecus, three 

 specimens of which have been observed during the last twenty years on the 

 coasts of New Zealand, one of which 15 ft. 10 in. in length, ran ashore 

 near the entrance of Nelson harboiu-, in October, 1860, and was described 

 by W. T. L. Travers, Esq., in the Nelson Colonist, and a transcript of which 

 description appeared in an early volume of the " Transactions of the New 

 Zealand Institute." The second, 12ft. Sin. in length, was found on the 

 beach at New Brighton, Canterbury, and is described and figured by Dr. 

 Haast and Dr. Powell, in the Transactions.* The third, as noted by 

 Dr. Haast in one of the papers last alluded to appears to have been 

 stranded on the West Coast, near the Waimangaroa river, Taramea 

 district, July, 1877, and was 14 feet 4 inches in length. We can add 

 undoubtedly a fourth occurrence of Regalecus, near the locale from 

 which the fish I am about to describe was obtained, namely, Hominy 

 Cove, 'about three or four miles south from Jackson's Bay. Mr. 

 James Teer in February, 1874, found a fish freshly washed up on the 

 beach there, which fully answered to the description of Regalecus. He had 

 no means at the time of preserving it, as he was prospecting for gold, but 

 hung the fish, which he stated to have been about 14 ft. in length, over the 

 branches of a small tree, intending to take some portion of it back with 

 him ; when he returned to it he found it almost completely destroyed by 

 the rats. Portions of the backbone and skull of this specimen you can see 

 among the varieties of our local museum. f 



Altogether the family Trachypterid® contains, without exception, the 



most singular specimens of the finny tribe, which consequently, from their 



appearance, attract the fullest attention and observation from even the most 



casual classes of enquirers. In shape, they are usually long, deep, and very 



much compressed and flattened on the sides, so much so that their local 



appellations always embody some idea of these peculiarities — such as 



ribband-fish, lath or deal-fish, band-fish or blade-fish, and also oar-fish. 



They are all covered with brilliant silvery skin or scales, and their fins are 



described in most cases to be of vivid scarlet or red hues ; and in addition 



are generally of the two extremes as far as size is concerned — either very 



large or very small. Our member of the family is unfortunately of the 



latter extreme, as you may perceive from the individual now before us 



* " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," Vol. X., p. 246, and Vol. XI., p. 269. 

 t [See also, for specimen from Cape Farewell Sand Spit, "Trans, N.Z, Inst.," Vol, 

 X. p. 533.— Ed.] 



