6 oe JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 
food or otherwise, but that it comes on shore in an apparently 
voluntary manner for some reason as yet undiscovered. Dr. 
Hector’s statement that it is most commonly found on sandy 
beaches exposed to the long roll of ocean swell is quite correct ; 
but the inference which he draws from being so found, viz., that 
it is thrown on shore by the sea while in pursuit of food is, in 
my opinion, an error, of which personal observation of its land- 
ing on beaches which are not exposed to any swell, and in per- 
fectly calm weather, would at once convince him. I have observed 
the landings of the frost-fish at the following places :—Clifford 
Bay, Cape Campbell, Kartigi and Moeraki beaches (Otago), 
Mahia Beach, and Portland Island (Hawke’s Bay). As far as 
my experience goes, it comes on shore only during frosty weather, 
when there is little or no wind, and most commonly during the 
night. Only two of the landing-places above named are sheltered 
from the southerly winds, which usually prevail during frosty 
weather, viz., Moeraki and Clifford Bay. At the last-named 
place I found the frost-fish more abundantly than anywhere else, 
and had better opportunities of observing its habits, so that my 
further remarks will chiefly refer to what I saw there, though 
they apply also to Moeraki. Clifford Bay is sheltered from S., 
S.E., and S.W. winds by very high land at the side nearest 
Cape Campbell, and where the frost-fish most commonly lands 
it only does so during southerly weather in the winter months 
when, on account of the shelter provided by the high cliffs, the 
sea close in shore is perfectly smooth; asa rule the frost-fish 
comes on shore at this place about dawn, but frequently after 
sunrise, and usually with the tide quarter-ebb it swims on top of 
the clear water strongly in a normal position, with its head di- 
rected to the shore, and continues so to advance till the water 
becomes too shallow for it to swim further, when its compressed 
shape causes it to fall on one side; it then begins to spring into the 
air, often 3 feet or more, with its head always directed shorewards, 
till the receding tide leaves it high and dry. When jumping, as 
above stated, it frequently comes down bent like a C, and as it is 
then gasping, this may have led the fishermen at Purakanui to 
think that it was trying to bite its tail, the more so from the fact 
that the said tailisoften bleeding, by beating on the sand during the 
dying struggles of the fish. In apaper published in Vol. VIII. 
of the Transactions of the N.Z, Institute, I stated, and now repeat, 
that I have frequently with a stick turned the frost-fish from the 
shore while it was in sufficiently deep water to swim well; — 
and that after swimming from the beach for a short time, 
it invariably turns round and comes deliberately on shore. I 
have repeated this experiment many times, and always with the 
same result. I can also state positively that itis not driven on 
shore by any visible enemy, nor does it go there in pursuit of 
prey of any kind. All the frost-fish obtained by me at Clifford 
Bay were adults in fine condition, fat, strong, and seemingly in 
perfect health. I do not pretend to give any reason for their 
coming on shore, and only state the facts as I observed them, 
