212 



Dr. Richard son's Contributions to 



Scorpyena cardinalis (Solander), 



Scorpcena cardinalis, Soland. Pisces Australia?, ined. p. 28. 

 , Parkinson, fig. 12, No. 10, Bibl. Banks. 



On Cook's first voyage a Scorpama having a strong gene- 

 ral resemblance to scrofa, but wanting the black mark on the 

 dorsal fin, was discovered at Motuaro in Queen Charlotte's 

 Sound, New Zealand, of which a lengthened description was 

 made by Solander, as above quoted, and a pencil sketch by 

 Parkinson. As it seems to be a different species from any 

 described in the e Histoire des Poissons,' I have transcribed 

 Solander's notes below, with the omission of two or three tri- 

 vial passages. The Scorpcena cottoides of Forster, taken in 

 Dusky bay, a more southern part of the same island,, is evi- 

 dently distinct from cardinalis, though there is a reference 

 under Forster's rude sketch (pi. 190.) in the Banksian Library 

 to the MSS. account of cardinalis. Cottoides, according to the 

 sketchy has two spinous points directly over the eye, while in 

 cardinalis there is one before and another behind the orbit : 

 the comparison cannot be carried with confidence much fur- 

 ther, because the body colours in which G. Forster's drawing 

 was coarsely executed have faded so as to render the forms of 

 the parts about the head uncertain ; but J. R. Forster's notes, 

 as quoted by Schneider^ do not correspond with Solander's 

 account of cardinalis. Cuvier compares Forster's fish with 

 the cirrhosa and venosa of the 6 Histoire des Poissons.' 



Parkinson's figure is drawn of the natural size. The length of 

 the head is rather less than one- third of that of the whole fish, cau- 

 dal included : its height behind the eye is two- thirds of the length. 

 Spinous points are shown on the nasal bones ; one over the anterior 

 and one over the posterior angle of the orbit, three or more on the 

 lateral cranial ridge behind the eye, and some on the temporal ridge 

 extending from the orbit to the upper angle of the gill-opening. 

 There are two apparently on the preorbitar, one over the other, and 

 the edge of the bone where it overlies the limb of the maxillary is 

 irregularly serrated. A series of spinous points mark the ridge of 

 the second suborbitar as it crosses the cheek. The angle of the 

 preoperculum emits a lengthened tapering acute process, on the base 

 of which there is a spinous point. The curved under limb of the 

 bone has four angular points. The outline of the gill-cover is tri- 

 angular, and there are two spines on the operculum, which do not 

 reach the edge of the membrane. The upper spine appears to have 

 a smaller one at its base. 



The spinous part of the dorsal is much arched, and is greatly 

 lowered before the 12th spine. The third spine, measuring in the 

 drawing above an inch and a half, is very slightly higher than the 

 adjoining one before and behind. The others decrease gradually 

 to the 1 1th, which has scarcely a fifth of the height of the 3rd one. 

 The 12th rises to the height of the 7th, and the 1st and 8th have 



