LEATHERJACKETS OR F1LEFISHES. 223 



blue. Even the most prosaic person, on viewing this splen- 

 did-looking fish, must be filled with admiration. The scales 

 are rough yet velvety, and upon each side of the tail peduncle 

 are three pairs of very strong curved spines. 



The Yellow Leather] acket is a very common fish 

 on the coast of New South Wales, and, like the one just 

 mentioned, in its adult state is principally taken by line on 

 the outside reefs, by fishermen engaged in fishing for 

 Snapper. At times vast shoals occur, and upon such occa- 

 sions, fishing- with the hope of capturing anything else is 

 altogether out of the question. In many instances, where it 

 is itself hooked, its powerful and sharp teeth enable it to 

 cut the line with the greatest of ease. Occasionally num- 

 bers of them are brought to market and sold. The demand 

 for them is gradually increasing, and it will still further 

 increase as their good esculent properties become better 

 known. As with all the Leather jackets it is better to skin 

 these fishes before cooking. This is quite a simple matter, 

 as the tough skin is very readily pulled off the body. 



The colour of this species is usually a uniform yellow 

 or yellowish-brown in the adult ; while the young have a 

 ground colour of yellow, upon which are several dark longi- 

 tudinal stripes running from the head to the tail. The 

 young are exceedingly common sometimes, near the en- 

 trances to some of the bays and estuaries of New South 

 Wales : and. with several other species of Leather jackets, 

 are taken by the fishermen in swarms. The net-fishermen 

 of course, have a great detestation of these pests ; not only 

 because of their uselessness to them, but because they be- 

 come entangled in the meshes of the net by the dorsal spine, 

 and then it is a labour to extricate them. They are usually 

 thrown up on the beach to die. The Yellow Leather jacket 

 reaches a length of about two feet. 



A curious-looking Australian Leather jacket which pos- 

 sesses on each side of the tail, those peculiar tooth-brush-like 

 areas before mentioned is known as Monacanthus guntheri. 



