104 EDIBLE FISHES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



readily ; rarely, however, is the adult Whiting caught by hook and line ; 

 the medium size is the rule, excej^t on the open sea beaches, where some of 

 the very large ones may be taken by these means." So far as this goes it is 

 doubtless correct, but the remainder of the paragraph* is ha,rdly what one 

 w^ould expect to find countenanced by a Royal Commission specially appointed 

 for the purpose of protecting our food fishes during the earlier stages of 

 their existence, and developing our fishing industries; neither of these 

 important ends are likely to be attained by advocating this unprincipled 

 destruction of the fry of our finest food fish. 



The Sand Whiting is far more abundant on the shores of the Colony than 

 the preceding species, and is found along the coast from north to south ; 

 but like S. macidafa appears to increase in numbers towards our northern 

 boundary, while the finest consignments of these fishes forwarded to the 

 Sydney market come from Lake Maequarie. Macleay has still further 

 accentuated the confusion existing between the Australian AVhitings by 

 enumerating our common form as S. hassensis, and giving northern Aus- 

 tralia as the restricted habitat of S. ciliata ; this further confusion, it is but 

 just to say, is probably traceable to Castelnau's papers on the subject. 



>S^. ciJiata is common on the coast of Queensland, and extends its range 

 northward to York Peninsula and probably to the shores of southern New 

 Guinea ; but the extent of its range to the westward cannot be determined 

 imtil a series of examples from our northern and north-western waters have 

 been placed in the hands of a competent authority. This species has not 

 been recorded as yet from Victoria ; but it is palpable that a fish which is 

 abundant at Twofold Bay is sure to occur in at least the eastern waters of 

 that Colony. Although Johnston is in error as to the fish which he cata- 

 logues as *S'. ciliata (see p. 101), the true S. ciliata does, as might be 

 expected, occur on the Taamanian coast, a specimen from that Colony being 

 in the collection of the British Museum. 



This fine species grows to the length of twenty inches, and it is no 

 uncommon sight to see in the Sydney market several dozens of these fishes, 

 each individual of which would exceed fifteen ; twelve inches is, however, 

 about the average size. 



Family XVI.-COTTID^. 



Branchiostegals five to seven : pseudobranchia^ present. Body oblong 

 or subcylindrical. Cleft of mouth lateral. Eyes lateral or directed upwards. 

 Some of the bones of the head armed. Preopercle connected to the subor- 

 bital ring by a bony stay. Dentition generally feeble, and consisting of 

 villiform bands: vomer and palate with or without teeth. One or two 

 dorsal fins, the spinous portion less developed than the soft portion or the 

 anal: ventrals thoracic, with five or less rays: pectorals wither without free 

 rays. Body naked, scaly, or with series of bony plates. Airbladder present 

 or absent. Pyloric appendages, when present, few or in moderate numbers. 



Geograjyhical distribution. — Cosmopolitan. 



This family contains a number of carnivorous fishes, none of which attain 

 to a large size, belonging chiefly to the littoral zone ; some, however, are 

 inhabitants of fresh water only, and one Japanese species {Coitus hathi/bius) 

 is found at a depth of at least five hundred fathoms. 



Possil representatives, among which the recent genus Trigla occurs, 

 have been described from various tertiary formations. 



* The very young Whitinf,', from three to four inclies long, in the beginning of the year, and at early 

 morning flood tide, will readily take a worm bait. These, nicely cleaned, and fried crisp and brown, are not 

 easily to be beaten, and would fairly vie with tlie famous Whitebait of England. 



