88 EDIBLE FISHES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



length are frequently waslied asliore on the outer beaches, those, however, 

 which survive the perils of the journey, and reach the comparatively 

 safe shelter of our harbors and salt water lakes rapidly increase in size, 

 and are taken by the seine at all seasons of the year, measuring from four 

 to ten inches in length, and are sent to market along with Yellowtail, to 

 be sold as bait, for wliich purpose they are excellent. 



"Writing from Twofold Say Mr. Grlover remarks: — "They are seen between 

 the Heads in September and October in large shoals. I think they spawn 

 in November in deep water outside ; I have often seen the spawn floating 

 on the surface, and surrounded by gulls, shags, &c. The young fry ai'e 

 caught in the bay in March, varying from two inches upwards, accompanied 

 by full grown ones eighteen inches in length. In June they leave the Bay 

 till the following September." From the Clarence Eivcr Heads Mr. Hood 

 Pegus reported that they come in October and spawn during the same 

 month. 



As a table flsh the Tailor is in great request, and is bought up with 

 avidity in the market ; indeed we have few more delicate or well flavored 

 fishes on the coast ; the flesh, however, deteriorates very rapidly, and care 

 should, therefore, be taken when choosing one for consumption to select an 

 example which has but recently been captured. 



The Tailor appears to subsist almost exclusively upon smaller fishes, and 

 as its voracity is boundless, the destruction caused by shoals of adults to 

 their own fry and those of the other species must be enormous. On two 

 occasions only have we found food other than fishes ; these were, on one 

 •occasion a squid, on another several small swimming crabs. 



Consequent on their rapacity they take a bait of almost any kind freely, 

 and afford good sport to the aiigler. The gi'eat majority of those brought 

 to market are, however, taken by the seine net, but, though command- 

 ing a remunerative price, the enclosure of a shoal of large Tailors is 

 frequently no great cause for congratulation on the part of their captors, 

 as their strong subulate teeth, aided by their strength and determination, 

 enable them in an incredibly short time to cut through the meshes, and not 

 only escape themselves, but by rendering the net useless cause the loss 

 of that night's fishing, not to speak of the trouble and expense incurred in 

 mending the nets. In connection with this Oliver {vide Tenison Woods) 

 states : — "This fish is very destructive to the fishermen's nets. A school of 

 Tailors enclosed in a seine generally involves wholesale destruction to the 

 net. After such a haul a considerable expenditure of time and twine 

 is necessary to repair the rents made by the sharp teeth of these very active 

 and determined fishes. Instances have been known where the entire bunt 

 of a net has been torn to shreds by a few dozen Tailors." 



Speaking generally of its distribution Griiuther states that it " is spread 

 over nearly nil the tropical and subtropical seas ; it frequents principally the 

 coasts, but is also met with in the open sea. On the Atlantic coasts of the United 

 States it is well known by the name of ' Bluefish,' being highly esteemed as 

 food, and furnishing excellent sport. It is one of the most rapacious fishes, 

 destroying an immense number of other shore fishes, and killing many more 

 than it can devour." 



The Tailor is very abundant along the whole of our coastline from north 

 to south, and though as before stated the catch is greatest during the spring 

 and early summer months, there are nevertheless not many days throughout 

 the year on which they are absent from the market. On the Queensland 

 coast we are again left in uncertainty as to the extension of its northerly 

 range, but Saviile Kent mentions it as ''requiring classification among the 



