THE FLAT HE ADS. 197 



weapons ; and those persons who have the catching and 

 handling of them are always careful to avoid being struck. 



Most of the species of the Platycephalidee inhabit waters 

 lying inside the "hundred-fathom line," many being found in 

 quite shallow water; there is one species however which 

 occurs in Japanese waters at a depth of about 500 fathoms. 



By far the most important Australian kind is the 

 Common or Dusky Flathead (Platyccphalus fuscus} ; 

 others that might be mentioned being the Rock Flathead 

 (Platycephalns lavigatus}, the Long-spined Flathead 

 (Platycephalus lonispinis}, and the very grotesque-looking 

 Variegated Flathead (Platycephalns cirronasus} . 



The Dusky Flathead is very abundant along the coast 

 of New South Wales, being also found more or less abun- 

 dantly in the waters of Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and 

 South Australia. It is found most plentifully in water of 

 from 3 or 4 fathoms in depth up to a few inches at low tide. 



It is one of the largest of the Flathead family, speci- 

 mens of a length of 4 feet being not unknown ; those of 

 a length of 2 to 2 l / 2 feet however, are considered ordin- 

 arily large, while the average of those marketed would be 

 much less than that. 



Fig. 69. DUSKY FLATIII;.U> (Platycephatus fusctis), 



This species is most "at home" on the bottoms of 

 muddy channels and on mud- or mud-and-sand-flats. At 

 low tide one may often see numbers of these creatures lying 

 on the flats, basking in the sun, with only their eyes show- 

 ing. It is really wonderful, how quickly they are able to 

 bury themselves. One may dart from "under your nose" 

 to a short distance away, there is a quick grovelling, fan- 

 ning motion and the fish has virtually disappeared from 

 view. Of course, the fish is verv materiallv assisted by the 



