NOTE ON LUVARUS IMPERIALIS, 

 A YERY RARE FISH. 



BY MR. A. COLLEiXETTE, 



Hon. Curator, Guille-Alles Museum. 



On the 18th of September, 1902, Mr. Thomas M. Falla, 

 fishing off St. Martin's Point, took a specimen of the Luvarus 

 imperialis and brought it to town. It was exposed to view- 

 on the slabs of Mrs. Falla's stall and Mr. Pitts and I decided 

 to purchase the specimen. It was at once sent to Messrs. Ger- 

 rard and Sons, Naturalists, London, who, with the assist- 

 ance of the British Museum staff, identified it, and wrote us 

 to the effect that it was extremely rare, and therefore a 

 valuable acquisition. 



Some time after, while in London on business, I called 

 at the British Museum, Cromwell Road, and asked to be 

 permitted to view a specimen of the fish. Mr. Boulenger, 

 F.R.S., received me very kindly, and after asking me questions 

 as to the capture of the fish, informed me that it was only 

 very rarely taken, so that it was still practically unstudied. 

 He placed me in the hands of Mr. C. Tate Regan, B.A., 

 who, at considerable trouble, lifted the Museum specimen 

 from a large tank, and pointed out its peculiarities. I also 

 saw a specimen of the young. These two individuals were all 

 that the Museum contained, and are not exhibited in the 

 collections open to the public. I understood from these 

 gentlemen that there are but one or two specimens in other 

 Museums, and that, therefore, our Guernsey Museum w r as to 

 be congratulated on the acquisition of the specimen. 



The Luvarus imperialis has been seen and described 

 by various writers, but owing to its rarity its place in the 

 classification of fishes was, up to the examination of our 

 specimen, still a matter of doubt. It has been taken in the 

 Channel once before, in the Mediterranean and in the 

 Australian waters. It is probably an inhabitant of the 

 Atlantic. 



