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Show 1905.] OF THE FAMILY GALAXIID ^. 3 6 9 Zealand and neighbouring islands, Falkland Is., Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, and Chile. "W ith the type of the species, which I have been enabled to examine through the courtesy of Dr. S. F. Harmer, I have compared the types of G. scriba, for permission to examine which I am indebted to Prof. L. Vaillant, of G. vmterhousei, kindly lent by the Director of the Australian Museum, and of G. krefftii and G. punctatus, preserved in the British Museum. The varying size of the eye in preserved specimens is sometimes due to the method of preservation ; often the eye tends to protrude and the circular fold surrounding it is stretched or broken, thus apparently increasing the size of the eye. In the type of G. scriba, which measures only 74 mm. in total length, the eye is slightly more than 1 the length of head. 1. (130 mm.) 7 types of ( Murray R. A. Lloyd, Esq. 2-4 . (70-90 m m .)) G. krefftii. 1 Sydney. G. KrefFt, Esq. 5. (170 mm.) type of G. Eastern Creek. G. KrefFt, Esq. punctatus. 6-8. (80-95 mm.) Australia. G. KrefFt, Esq. 9. (105 mm.) Mooraboul R. Mr. E. Degen. 10-19. (75-135 mm.) Tasmania. J. B. Jukes, Esq. 20. (90 mm.) Tasmania. R. W . Johnston, Esq. 21. (170 mm.) Tasmania. Sir. J. Richardson. 22-23. (78 and 110 mm.) ? New South Wales. G. KrefFt, Esq. 24-26. (65-135 mm.) New Zealand. Otago Mus. 27-33. (90-120 mm.) New Zealand. New Zealand Inst. 34-35. (85 and 110 mm.) Falkland Islands. Sir J. Richardson. 36. (60 mm.) Tierra del Fuego. Marquis G. Doria. 37-44. (55-60 mm.) Magellan. Dr. Coppinger. 45-50. (63-80 mm.) ? Peru. Royal Coll. Surgeons. The New Zealand race may usually be distinguished by the following characters:-Head moderate (5|-6| in the length in specimens of 65-135 mm.); eye rather large (3|-4| in the length of head); ventrals nearly always nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; dorsal and anal fins almost triangular in shape, the rays decreasing from the first branched ray, which is the largest, to the last, which is very short, the free edge of the fin being straight; caudal distinctly emarginate. The Australian race often shows a slightly longer head (5-6 in the length in specimens of 70-170 mm.) and a slightly larger eye; the ventrals are sometimes equidistant from tip of snout and base of caudal, sometimes a little nearer to one or the other; the dorsal and anal fins are often more rounded than in the New Zealand form, the anterior branched rays being longer and decreasing in length less rapidly, the last ray also being longer; the caudal is usually not quite so distinctly emarginate. The South American race seems perhaps to differ from the New Zealand one in having a slightly smaller head (5|-64 in the length in specimens of 55-110 mm.) and a smaller eye (3|-4^f in the length of head). Galaxias versicolor Casteln. (Proc. Zool. Soc. Victoria, i. 1872, p. 176) is probably allied to G. attenuatus, agreeing in the small head (5-^ in the total length), small mouth (the maxillary just |
