FISH AND FISHERIES. 59 



fast as well as the line on board ; the bridle being the first to have a 

 strain is easily snapped when any additional weight is put on ; con- 

 sequently that being an indicator, soon tells when anything is fast. 

 By this means a line can' be set, and which requires little attention 

 except Avhen a fish is on, and does not bore the parties by looking 

 after it." Young yelloAv-tails are caught in immense quantities in JST. S. 

 Wales as bait for schnapper. It is a fairly good bait, but not so good as 

 mackerel. 



The White Trevally, No. 2. 



Caranx georgianus, the "white trevally," is distinguished as a deeper 

 fish in proportion to length, and the plates on the lateral line are little 

 developed. There are several other species of Caranx in Port Jackson. 

 In Victoria it is called silver bream. Count Castelnau says it is very 

 beautiful when freshly taken from the water, the upper part being a 

 light celestial blue or beautiful purple, the lower parts of a silvery 

 white with bright iridescent tinges. Behind the operculum there is a 

 black spot (also in the yellow-tail), and along the body extends a fine 

 golden stripe. The dorsal fin yellow, bordered with black. There is 

 another fish called by this name which has already been described amongst 

 the Teuthidce, but this is the White Trevally as generally known by IST. S. 

 Wales fishermen. 



The King-fish. 



(Plate XIX.) 



The king-fish of Port Jackson must not be confounded with the king- 

 fish of Victoria [Scicena antarctica) or the king-fish of Tasmania {Tkyr- 

 sites micropns). This shows how confusing and misleading these local 

 names ai'e. Our king-fish belongs to a genus called "yellow-tails" in 

 Europe. This is Seriola lalandii — Cuvier and Valenc. The generic 

 characters are the same as Caranx, but the lateral line is not armed, 

 and the body less compressed. In this species the colour is uniform, 

 and the scales small, snout elongate, height little more than a quarter of 

 the length, abdomen broad, not compressed, ventral fins moderate. 



" The Australian king-fish, " says Mr. Hill, " gives an idea of power 

 and speed, when its beautiful symmetry and powerful tail are closely ex- 

 amined as it lies in the boat or ashore ; but this idea is considerably 

 enlarged when the amateur fisherman hooks one on a good fine line, with 

 a determination to "hang on." That hasty resolution is quickly 

 dispelled, and his idea more than realized as he finds the line tightening 

 and whii-ring through his fingers, and any attempt to stop the fish at this 

 moment would endanger these digits being either removed or cut clean 

 to the bone, or lose that portion of the line already overboai"d. There 

 are very few well practised fishermen who are desirous to catch more 

 than half-a-dozen large king-fishes 50 or 60 lbs. weight in succession ; 

 they do a fair day's work when that is accomplished. 



" The king-fishes appear in this harbour at regular and iri'egular 

 intervals, but at all times waging a predatory warfare on other fishes, 

 and often make bold to harass and shepherd them in shallow waters, 

 making a dash and a splash among them at intervals, and which calls 



