OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 243 



which the three first are simple ; the caudal fin is strongly bifid ; 

 the anal is long with its anterior part much higher than the 

 other ; the ventrals are placed a little in front of the dorsal, the 

 pectorals below the end of the operculum ; the body is covered 

 with large scales, and the abdomen is not serrated. The characters 

 that we may consider as specific are the following : — body oval, 

 elongate ; head nearly as long as the height of the body, and 

 contained three times and two-thirds in the total length without 

 the caudal ; eye, very large — contained three times in the length 

 of the head ; the upper jaw much shorter than (nearly twice in) 

 the diameter of the eye. 



The lateral line extends over forty-four scales, and is marked by 

 a succession of fan-like strise ; on the transverse line the scales 

 number eleven, the lateral line passing over the fifth. 



The dorsal is much higher than long, formed of eighteen rays, 

 of which the fourth is the longest ; the others go decreasing in 

 length ; the last is very long, arched, and attains to near the upper 

 base of the caudal ; this latter has its lobes pointed, and three 

 times longer than the centre ; the anal is nearer to the caudal 

 than to the ventrals ; it is rather long, and formed of twenty- 

 four rays, of which the three first are simple ; this fin is rather 

 longer than one-half of the head, and its 4th, 5th, and 6th rays 

 are higher than the length of the fin ; the others go on decreasing, 

 and the central ones are only about one-third of the length of 

 the others ; the two or three last are longer, and about one-half 

 the height of the longest ; ventrals formed of one long slender 

 spine, and of nine rays ; at the base of this fin, and also of the 

 pectorals, there is a long-pointed, detached scale ; pectorals rather 

 longer than the ventrals, formed of one long slender spine and of 

 thirteen rays. 



The general appearance of the fish is very silvery ; the back 

 is green ; the head has golden tinges ; the fins are green, with 

 the exception of the ventrals, which are pink. 



My specimen is about sixteen inches long, but it is said that 

 this fish sometimes measures two feet. 



