58 NEW SOUTH WALES 



The " white trevally" is very abundant at times in the harbours and inlets of 

 the coast, but generally in a young state. The adult fish is lai'ge, and appears in 

 summer in very large shoals. The place of spawning is unknown. It is not 

 much esteemed as a food fish. 



The " king-fish" is about the most voracious and destructive of all the pre- 

 daceous fishes of these seas. It grows to a large size, congregates in enormous 

 slioals, and habitually pursues and destroys the shoals of other fish at all smaller 

 than itself. It is not considered in its fresh state a very good fish, but when 

 corned it is esteemed by some a great delicacy. 



Of the "Samson-fish" very little has been observed. It is a large and handsome 

 fish, affords good sport to the amateur fisherman, and is not much valued as food. 



The " tailor" is well-known in Port Jackson. The young fish are constantly 

 making their appearance in slioals in the summer season, and are taken in the 

 seines in great numbers ; they are much in demand for bait, but are not a favourite 

 catch for the fishermen, as they are most destructive to the nets. The adult fish 

 are large, and are known in the Melbourne market by the name of "skip-jack." 

 They school in midsummer, move in enormous shoals, and are said to be most 

 destructive to the young and spawn of other fishes. As an article of food they are 

 not in much request, but when fresh there are few more delicate and well-tasted 

 fish.— R.R.C. 



A short description of some of these species is here given. Caranx 

 and Trachurus are now included in one genus by Giinther. 



The body is compressed or nearly cylindrical, cleft of mouth moder- 

 ate. First dorsal continuous, with about eight feeble spines or rudi- 

 mentary. Scales small, curved in front, straight behind, entii'ely or 

 posteriorly covered wdth plate-like scales, several of which are keeled, 

 the keel ending in a spine. 



The Yellow-tail. 



(Plate XVIII and Plate XXII.) 



The "yellows-tail" of Sydney is Traclmrus declivis^ closely allied to the 

 common British horse mackerel,* distinguished by having its lateral 

 line armed wdth large vertical plates for its whole length, and a yellow 

 tail ; it is almost cosmopolitan in the tempei'ate and arctic seas. It is 

 also knowii by the name of scad. Mr. Hill says : — " It is not much good, 

 except at sea along our coast, when occasionally it is better than salt beef, 

 and is usually eaten when very fresh ; it is dry in its character, and requires 

 much garnishing to make it palatable. Like all deep-sea fishes, such as 

 the bonito and albicore, it prefers a live bait, and is readily caught by 

 an artificial one over the ship's counter. The pace these fishes swim at 

 is astonishing. Coming coastwise recently in a steamer, and when ofi" 

 Port Macquarie, we caught several by towing a line over the stern, the 

 hook covered with a piece of white rag in the sha])e of a small squid ; 

 then we were going about ten knots, and the mackerel appeared to be play- 

 ing near the stern in the wake — every now and then they would start 

 off as if the ship was at anchor. We were going too fast for the gener- 

 ality of fishes, that is to catch them in the way described. There are 

 many of the deep-sea fishes caught in this way. The usual method is, 

 when the vessel is going through the water at three to five knots to put 

 out a line with an artificial bait, and to have a small bridle of twine 



* Professor McCoy states that the Victorian Trachurus is identical with the 

 Horse Mackerel of Europe. The figure given by him (Prod. Zool. Vict. pi. 

 XVIII) is by his kind permission I'eproduced here (Plate XXII) from which it 

 will be seen that it differs from tfie Trachurus of New South Wales. 



