156 EDIBLE riSHES OP NEW SOUTH WALES. 



to the front of the head, one branch passing above, the other below the eyes ; 

 a third branches upwards to about the base of the ninth,, dorsal ray. Grill- 

 rakers rather short, placed at a moderate distance apart, one third of the 

 diameter of the orbit in length. 



Colors. — Yellowish-brown with or without darker blotches, which are 

 most constant, and frequently edged with white, on the lateral line. 



Although this is a common fish on our coasts, and occurs in the market at 

 all seasons of the year, no reliable information in regard to its breeding, has 

 hitherto been published. As, however, several specimens examined during 

 the month of September were found to contain ova in a moderate state of 

 development, it would appear that this is more or less a summer-breeding 

 fish ; nevertheless, it is worthy of remark that an equal number of fishes taken 

 at the same time as those referred to above showed no trace whatever of 

 breeding ; all these examples were taken in Port Jackson by the trawl on 

 the same day ; it remains, therefore, for future investigation to decide whether 

 these fishes are semi-annual or biennial breeders. Young fiounders, up 

 to two or three inches in length, are but rarely taken either by seine, dredge, 

 or trawl, within Port Jackson, and it is, therefore, improbable that the spawn 

 is deposited in shallow water near the shore ; and this is borne out in some 

 degree by the fact that but few of those sent to market contain ripe ova ; 

 from these negative data we may perhaps be allowed to draw the conclusion 

 that, like many other Pleuronectids, the spawn is shed in the open sea, and 

 the ova float. 



These fishes show a decided preference for sandy ground at a small or 

 moderate depth, whether on banks or on shelving shores, and although they 

 are occasionally taken by the trawl on a muddy bottom, such an occurrence 

 is the exception with this and the succeeding species, while it is the 

 rule with the Black Sole {see p. 161). As might be expected, such a difference 

 of feeding grounds induces a corresponding difference in flavor, those captux^ed 

 in pure sea w\ater on a clean bottom being incomparably superior to those 

 taken in muddy estuaries. In point of delicacy and sweetness we consider 

 this fish far beyond the Sole, which has been so cried up by a very ^e\x 

 writers that it now bears a ridiculously inflated value in the market. The 

 food of those examined consisted solely of crustaceans and molluscs. 



Like many other Flatfishes, such as the English Plaice {Pleuronecfes 

 platessa) , onv Elounders are at certain seasons gregarious and migratory; 

 these periodical movements have, however, no connection with the functions 

 of reproduction, but are merely caused by a common movement from deeper 

 water shoreward and back again, and the schools consist principally of small- 

 sized fishes. 



The principal supply sent to market is taken locally with hook and line, 

 the bait used being mackerel or yellowtail, crab, or prawn. They are not often 

 captured by the seine, as they bury themselves so deeply in the sand that 

 the ground rope passes over without disturbing them ; with the otter trawl, 

 however, many fine fish have fretiuently been caught by A'arious scientific 

 parties. 



Prom the metropolitan district northward this Plounder is common in our 

 waters, frequenting as well the harbors and estuaries, as the shelving shores 

 of, and the sandbanks off", the coast ; it is essentially a tropical species and 

 becomes, therefore, more common as we proceed in a northerly direction. It 

 is found along the coasts of Queensland and Northern Australia, through 

 Malaysia to the Chinese and Japanese seas, and westward through India to 

 the Eed Sea and the east coast of Africa, at least as far south as Natal. 



It attains a length of fifteen inches. 



