82 FISHES OF AUSTRALIA. 



occur on the coast of Queensland are also found in New 

 South Wales. One of these, knowVi as the Blind 

 Tassel - Fish (Polynemus macro chir}, is so-called be- 

 cause of the fact that the eyes, though normally developed, 

 are covered bv a dense filmv skin. The loss of vision 



*> V 



thereby occasioned is compensated for, by the highly-special- 

 ised, long, tactile rays, developed in connection with the 

 pectoral fins. 



THE PIKE FAMILY. 



(Family : Sphyr&nidep.) 



THE fishes of this family are carnivorous and highly vora- 

 cious. They embrace about 20 species ; the mouths of all 

 of which are provided with dangerous-looking teeth. In 

 size, they vary from some of about a foot in length, up to 

 the enormous Barracuda (not the Barracouta) of the West 

 Indies, which reaches a length of 8 feet, and is a menace 

 to bathers. Though they are nearly all used as food, some 

 of the tropical species are said to be of a poisonous nature. 



The Pike family is well represented in Australian 

 waters. The most important species is the Short- 

 finned* Pike (Sphyrana novcehollandice), which is found 



Fig. 30. SHORT-FHSTNED PIKK (Sphyr&na noweholla/ndi&). 



along the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria. 

 It is in its greatest abundance on the Victorian coast. In 

 the fish-markets of Sydney it is to be seen in small num- 



* Called " Short-finned " to differentiate it from the " Long-finned " 

 Pike, a fish of another family (see page 106), and with which it is often 

 roughly classified by fishermen and others as simply "Pike." 



