History of the Local Names of Cape Fish. 213 
of an expedition to St. Helena Bay the entry occurs in the Journal : 
‘Boat caught about 100 strange fish—not nice;’’ and again on 
another occasion they “caught some sweetly tasting fish,” and 
“caught some fish (name unknown).” 
But even the most stolid anti-scientific Philistine will on occasion 
become enthusiastic over the wonders of nature. At St. Helena 
Bay we are told some specimens of a remarkable fish were caught, 
which had ‘“‘an antiquated head, a sharp spear on the back, and a 
tail ike a shark ; some had small legs, which they could draw up under 
the stomach, very strange—as may be seen from the accompanying 
sketch.” This was apparently ‘“ Callorynchus antarcticus,’” the 
‘‘small legs”? being the ‘“claspers”’ of the male. The investiga- 
tions of the Dutch skipper have been followed up, and the fish has 
proved even more wonderful than he imagined. No name was 
given then to the fish, but it is now known as ‘“‘ Joseph, or Josup,”’ 
a name the origin of which is as puzzling as the fish itself. I have 
not seen the name printed or written, and so far can suggest no 
plausible derivation. It may be a corruption of ‘‘ Jood’s visch”’ 
or ‘‘ Jew’s fish.”’ 
It is somewhat striking that the early Dutch seamen seem to have 
found many fish which are not now known to occur in the Colony, 
and of which the names have not survived. Thus we are informed 
that ‘‘ Soles (Tongen), Plaice (Schol) Flounders (Bot), and other flat 
fish as well as Haddock (Shelvis) ’’ were found at Saldanha Bay. Of 
these the present Dutch fishermen at that place know only the Sole. 
A similar instance of the occurrence of varieties of fish not now 
known we meet with in a later entry. In an expedition to the 
interior, led by Surgeon Pieter van Meerhoff, we are told by him 
that in the space of 1} hours they caught ‘ beautiful Carp (Kerper),” 
as much as they could carry away. This is undoubtedly the fish 
(Spirobranchus capensis) still called Karper in the Colony by 
the Dutch (in Holland Karper = Cyprinus carpio). When, how- 
ever, he proceeds to inform us that he also found in the same river 
‘‘a living monster with three heads like three cats’ heads’’ and 
provided with ‘three long tails showing above the water,’ we 
come to another instance of an extinct fish which has not left 
even a name behind. 
There appears, therefore, to have been extensive changes in the 
fauna of our seas and rivers. Even as late as 1731 Kolbe informs 
us that there was ‘“‘ great plenty and variety of fish in the rivers,”’ 
where now, alas! they are conspicuous by their absence. He also 
saw a sea monster, described it in detail, and gave it a name—‘ Sea 
Lion.” That this is not another name for what is now known as 
