it of my friend, His
Excellency Captain Grey, Governor of South Australia, who advised me to
forward the drawings to you for the purpose of being placed with others
of a similar kind in the British Museum, where ultimately sufficient
material may be collected to give some account of the New Holland fish.

"Nothing is assumed as to the execution of the drawings; in fact it often
occurred when I set off in my little skiff, (especially in the outset)
that seven or eight species were procured in the course of the excursion,
which compelled me to make drawings of all when I came home tired in the
evening; forwarding them to ensure, as far as possible, their colours
before they became extinct--a sort of forced effort in respect to the
execution has, therefore, only been effected. The outline of nearly every
specimen was taken from ACTUAL PROFILE, by laying the fish upon the
paper--in this way I defied error in outline--of course, afterwards
carefully drawing and correcting various parts which required it, in a
free or rough manner, time not admitting of much pains.

"In naming the fish, I have merely attempted to give the aboriginal and
popular names known to the sealers and settlers. In obtaining the former,
no little difficulty has been experienced. The younger natives generally
giving different names to those of the elder; but finding the fish named
by the latter more descriptive, I have, of course, in most instances,
adopted them.

"For instance, No. 1, KOJETUCK means the fish with the bones; which is
very descriptive, from Koje the bones, [Note 28: This was noticed by
Governor Grey.] having very singular bones placed vertically in the neck,
connecting the dorsal spines to the back, resembling small tobacco pipes.

"Also the KYNARNOCH, No 13, the bearded, etc. In many other instances the
savages of this province are equally clear in naming their animals; and
it is curious, even this applies to their children, who commonly receive
their name from some extraordinary circumstance at, or about the time of
their birth. I find, also, the old men are more minute in SPECIES; the
younger often call very different fish by the same name, as the MEMON,
Nos. 17, and 43, etc. but as this is curious, merely for the sake of fact,
it is otherwise of little importance to the naturalist,--the native name
being only useful to enable the collector to obtain any particular
species hereafter. As regards the fidelity of the drawings, it may be