372 ON THE CLUPEIDiE OF AUSTRALIA. 



month., iii the succeeding year they appeared in great abundance 

 in the Bay, and were caught by thousands for the market. After 

 remaining for a few weeks they disappeared until the same time 

 in 1866, when they arrived in such countless thousands, that 

 carts were filled with tliem, by simply dipping them out of the 

 sea with large baskets. Hundreds of tons were sent up the 

 country to the inland markets, and through the city, for several 

 weeks they were sold for a few pence the bucketful, while the 

 captains of the ships entering the Bay reported having passed 

 through closely packed shoals of them for miles." Professor 

 M'Coy has, I should think, been misinformed as to the year 1864 

 being the first appearance of this fish in Victoria, I have seen it 

 in Port Jackson years prior to that date, where it was known 

 under the name of " Sardine," but it is not unlikely that though 

 annually visiting our coasts, it may be an accidental occurrence, 

 a portion of the shoal actually entering the harbours. 



The usual time, as far as I can ascertain from the Fishermen, 

 of its annual visit to the coast of New South Wales is in June 

 and July, earlier it would appear than in Victoria, but it is not 

 easy to fix the time within a few weeks. They are called by the 

 Fishermen u Mar ay" probably a native name, but I find that 

 the same name is sometimes used for other species of herring. 

 The shoals are described as enormous, covering miles of sea, and 

 accompanied by flights of birds and numbers of large fishes. These 

 shoals are generally observed from one to three miles from the 

 land, and are always proceeding in a northerly direction. The 

 same fish is reported by Dr. Hector to visit the East Coast of 

 Otago every year in February or March : " On the last occasion 

 (probably 1871) it was observed that the shoal was migrating 

 southwards and extended as far as the eye could reach, followed by 

 multitudes of gulls, mutton birds, barracoota, and porpoises. So 

 densely packed were they that by dipping a pitcher in the sea it 

 would contain half fish, so that if larger boats and suitable nets 

 were employed thousands of tons could be caught." 



