KNIFE-JAWED FISHES. WHITING FAMILY. 109 



Fisheries, New South Wales. The colour of the fish when 

 alive was a bright red, with some angular yellow bars about 

 the middle of the sides. It measures a little over TO inches. 



THE KNIFE-JAWED FISHES. 



(Family : Hoplognathidce.} 



THE fishes which constitute this family are specially char- 

 acterised by the jawbones having a sharp cutting edge so 

 as to form a kind of beak. The body is compressed and 

 deep and is covered with small ctenoid scales. Little is 

 known regarding the habits and distribution of the Aus- 

 tralian Knife -jaw (Hoplognathus comvayi). 



THE WHITING FAMILY. 



( Family : Sillaginldce. ) 



THIS is a very important family in Australian waters, as it 

 comprises amongst its members, some of the principal food- 

 fishes of several of the States. The most important of these 

 are: the Sand Whiting (Sillago ciliata), the Trumpeter 

 Whiting (Sillago maculata), and the Spotted Whiting 

 (Sillago punctata}. 



The Sand Whiting is rightly regarded as, if not 

 actually the finest, second to none amongst all the Australian 

 fishes, as a table fish. The flesh is white, firm and flaky, 

 and is easily digestible. For these reasons, this fish always 

 commands good prices in our markets ; and, whatever may 

 be said of other fishes, there is never a "glut" of Sand 

 Whiting. 



It is plentifully distributed over the whole of the New 

 South Wales coastline, the greater part of that of Queens- 



