370 ON THE CLUPEID.E OF AUSTRALIA, 



in having the last dorsal ray niiicli shorter than in the other 

 species, in fact little less than half the length. It is found in all 

 the Western rivers which fall into the Murray. Count Castelnau 

 states that it is much esteemed as food in the Melbourne Market 

 and sells at a high price, the same author states that Blandowski 

 enumerates it among the Fishes he found in the Murray River, 

 that it is called by the natives " Mdnur ", and adds that it " leaps 

 frequently out of the water, and is easily caught by its elongated 

 ray in thin fine nets, laid by the natives horizontally on the water. 

 The Fish gets entangled in the twine and cannot escape. It is 

 most numerous in the Darling, but is also found about and below 

 the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers. In June and 

 July it is considered a delicacy by the natives, and forms their 

 principal food during these two months. The young women are 

 not permitted to eat them, from a belief that if they did, all the 

 fishes in the river would die ; but in reality, because it is thought 

 to be an aphrodisiac, this Fish being very fat and nourishing. 

 It is also placed on the tops of graves, to point out the direction 

 in which he lives who caused the death of the inmate ; therefore 

 this Fish is much esteemed." My own experience, derived from 

 many years residence on the Murrumbidgee does not by any 

 means tally with Mr. Blandowski's, either as regards the 

 excellence or miraculous qualities of this Fish. The name in 

 the Wooradjerie language was " Ka-ee-ra," it was not common, 

 was considered too bony to be of much value as food, and 

 was certainly not regarded in a superstitious light. I never 

 tasted it but once, and then I found that though the flavour was 

 delicate enough, it was such a mass of bones as to make it useless 

 as an article of food. The average size of the adult Fish is from 

 ten to fourteen inches in length. 



5. Brisbanta Staigeri, (Castelnau). 

 Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S. Wales, Vol. 2, p. 241, pi. 3. 

 This Fish is fully described and figured by Count Castelnau 

 in the proceedings of our Society for 1877. It is found in the 



