LITTLE-KNOWN NEW ZEALANDFISH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 21, 4 June 1908, Page 2

LITTLE-KNOWN NEW ZEALANDFISH.

AN .INSTRUCTIVE PAPER. ; An exceedingly interesting paper,-entitled "Some Little-known New-Zealand Fish;'-'-and written by Mr. H. C. Field (of Wanganui),- - was read at last -night's' meeting or- tbe Philosophical; Society. : . Tho writer'stated that during a visit!to Tawa Flat, in 1851 v he '.was: shown Elfish of about lib. .weight' which . resembled the • English ccl-'pout\and tlio millers' thumb. !>, It i was in shape like the ordinary New ; Zealand hull-head, but had no scales, and was dullwhite on the belly,. its.; back being ,of ;;a: blackish grey colour variegated wjth'lighteA, spots and markings. ■ ,• During thciifollowmg-. year, . whilst < walking along tlje beach bej 'tween Paokakariki and Waik&nao, ho .found a fish about 4in. bug and shaped Jike'a her-.-ling, but thinner in proportion" to its depth.\ It was dark bluo bn the back and sflveryi,on > the belly, and evidently. belonged-_to..' the*, genus salmo. The..most striking peculiarity., about the fish .was a row, of bright'blub v . spots about as large as a pin's head , along the lateral, line. In 1853,, Kai-iwi and. Waitotara, lie found a; fish, 3s. "i in weight something like' a terakihi in .snaps,, dark- grey on the back and .white on,.thj belly. It was, remarkable ■ for its scales* which were.more than twice as long as.'thejj were broad. ■ > •- . ■ Whilst at Westoe in 1860 he was shown a small fish which had. been found alive eiii-' bedded in fclay nearly a3 hard as a'brick. When placed- in water, it had succumbed. Several authorities had agreed with him that it must' be a silurus or sand-fish, suchj' as are found in the-Nile, the Ganges, and Lake of Genneseret. Fish of the 'same variety had been found 1 in : the Up'okongaro' Valley and , elsewhere. About 1886, when visiting;Wai- , totara, he saw'fish whicfi : were : 'm''ih'Mi'e and ' smell 'preciselv like the' New Zealand grayling, but of-the colour of gold-fish:-. In the stream called the ; Arataha : in 1882,-;-a, fish,' , half, a pound in -weight, '-was captured;'" It. was like the kokopu-pura. in shape; but was of a dark orange; colour - on the back with small purplish brown, spots.■ In the Mangawhoro River was a variety of small fish liko the kokopu in appearance, but lighter ; in colour, and so distended with roe that its circumference far 'exceeded the i Eels like the silver eels of England were to i be found in the swamps at Waikanae.