EDIBLE EISHES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 29 



Colors. — Silvery, the upper surfaces waslied with browu, and sometimes 

 with scattered black spots, which may be present or absent on the vertical 

 fins. 



The " Silver Perch" or " Silver Bream" of the colonists is the " Kooberry" 

 of the Murrumbidgee Aboriginals. 



Although Castelnau's name richardsonii seems to have been generally 

 accepted by Australian authors for the eastern form, we fail to see what 

 characters of sufficient importance are present to authorise its separation 

 from Kichardson's well known ellipticus., under which name it has, therefore, 

 been placed here. 



Never having seen this fish in a fresh state, I extract the following para- 

 graph from the Report of the lloyal Commission on Fisheries, 18S0 : "The 

 'Silver Perch' or 'Bream' {Therapon richardsonii) is the perfection of 

 fishes, extremely rich and delicate in flavor. It frequents running streams 

 more than the last mentioned fish, i.e., Ctenolates amhiguus, which is often 

 found in lagunes and billabongs, and it affords good sport to the angler. A 

 full grown fish attains a size of five or six pounds. It is not caught often 

 with the hook, the very small size of its mouth preventing its taking the 

 hooks in common use." 



This fish inhabits the Murray River and its tributary streams, and if I am 

 correct in joining it with Richardson's species it also occurs in the rivers of 

 Western Australia, the original type, seventeen inches in length, having 

 come from thence, while it is noteworthy that a second specimen in the 

 British Museum was obtained in the Namoi River, a southern tributary of 

 the Darling. 



Genus IV.^HISTIOPTERUS. 



Histiopfertis Schlegel, Faun. Japon. Poiss. p. 86 (1844-46). 

 Biclinrdsonia, Casteln. Proc. Zool. Soc. A^ict. 1872, i. p. 112 {not 

 Stein dachner). 



Branchiostegals six : pseudobranchise present. Body more or less elevated 

 and strongly compressed. Snout much produced : the anterior profile of the 

 head deeply concave. Mouth small, situated at the end of the snout. 

 Preopercle, posttemporal, and clavicle obsoletely serrated. Small teeth in 

 the jaws : vomer, palatines, and tongue toothless. One dorsal fin with from 

 seven to nine spines : anal with two or three : some of the spines and rays 

 more or less produced. Scales small and eyelid. 



HISTIOPTERUS LABIOSUS. 



Histiopterus lahiosus, Grnth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 658, pi. lix ; Macleay, 



Catal. Austr. Pish. i. p. 74. 

 Hichardsonia insignis, Casteln. Proc. Zool. Soc. Vict. 1872, i. p. 112. 



Boar Fish. ' 



Plate YII. 



B. vi. D. 7/17. A. 2/9-11. Y. ]/5. P. 17. C. 17. L. lat. 94-110. 



Length of head 3-40-3-60, of caudal fin 5-33-5-40, height of body 3-50-3-60 

 in the total length. Diameter of eye 5-60-6-40 in the length of the head, 

 and 3"00-3'33 in that of the snout : interorbital space convex and narrow, 

 2"25 in the diameter of the eye. Nostrils approximate, elongate-oval, and 



