DENIZENS OF THE SEA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 4207, 5 April 1916, Page 5

DENIZENS OF THE SEA.

TWO PECULIAR SPECIMENS

Bv Telegraph—Special Correspondent WELLINGTON, April 4. Last week the- Dominion Museum received for' identification two peculiar denizens of the sea. The firstwas a fish of two feet in length with the general outline of a shark or dogfish, hut flattened below as if • adapted for crawling on the sea bottom. It is literally covered with small strong spines about one quarter of are inch in length, -which would make it a most formidable opponent for any enemy it might meet in its travels' No species of cent-rina, the genus to which it is provisionally referred, has been recorded before from New Zealand. The specimen was obtained bv Messrs Smith anil Chant of Wairau ~ Bar in Cloudy Bay and brought to the museum by the master of the s.s. Ooawa. It is generally supposed that New Zealand is a land free from snakes. Nevertheless, a specimen which is undoubtedly a snake was obtained neai New Plymouth, about 400 yards inland, bv Air W. W. Smith of New Plymouth. It proves to he a fine example of hydras, platurus, a species of sea snake well known in Australian waters. It has a flattened head like a land snake and is covered with scales and brightly clored, but the body is not round in section as m land snakes, but lias a taeprmg belly like a fish. This species, which is highly venomous, lias been recorded beioie from several northern localities bv Mr Cheeseman, curator of the Auckland Aluseum.