Notes from the Chatham Islands.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 27, 1894, Page 671

4. “Notes from the Chatham Islands,” by Major Gascoyne; communicated by Sir W. L. Buller. Abstract. The author recorded the occurrence at Waitangi of two specimens, which were cast up on the beach, of Regalecus—the skin of one being like

burnished silver, and that of the other exactly like Regalecus pacificus, described in Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. x., p. 247, except in the colour, which was dull-drab generally, and resembled that of some Indian land-frogs. Also a splendid specimen of the Pacific variety of tunny was stranded alive on the beach. The fish was between 6ft. and 7ft. long, and very handsome in appearance. Unfortunately, during a short absence from the spot where it lay, a man found it and immediately chopped it to pieces, so that even the skeleton was spoilt for scientific use. Lately a species of torpedo was obtained and skinned, and cured with alum and salt. It only differed from Torpedo fusca—as depicted in Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xvi., p. 284—in that the margin of the disc in front of the eyes was perfectly straight across instead of convex, and they had no “nick” on each side of the head, as shown in the plate referred to. The extreme length is 3ft., and the greatest width 25.5in. Sir Walter Buller stated that the head of an equally large tunny was obtained by him on the Manawatu Beach in 1862, and is now in the Colonial Museum.