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Sydney people. The Schnapper is generally caught by the hook, 

 but mstances have been known of their capture in Lake Macquarie 

 and other places by means of very deep nets." 



The black bream {ChrysopJirys aiistralis) and the tar- 

 whine {CJi. hasta) are both valuable food-fish, which form a 

 regular supply ; they attain a weight of 4 to 5 lbs., and 

 always meet with a ready sale, although the tarwhinc is 

 said not to keep so well as the black bream. 



Among the herbivorous Sparidse the blackfish, under 

 which name several species of Girclla are known, give us a 

 regular and palatable supply of good food. These are 

 taken in large quantities with the seine, and sometimes by 

 amateurs with a line and hook baited with green seaweed. 



Girella triatspidata, G. simplex, and G. ramsayi are the 

 species chiefly found in the market, and most esteemed. 

 Haplodactylus lophodon and H. obscurus, belonging to the 

 same section, do not furnish a regular supply ; the latter, 

 known to our southern fishermen as the " buttcrfish," is 

 highly esteemed. 



Squamipinnes. 



The " sweep," Scorpiis cEquipinnis, is the only fish of 

 this family that is used with us as an article of food, or 

 found in sufficient numbers to be of any market value. 

 " It is not much thought of, yet at times it is brought to 

 market in considerable quantities, and finds consumers at 

 fair prices. The schooling-season is midsummer, and the 

 spawn is probably deposited in the harbour, as the young 

 sweeps are frequently caught in the seine." 



It is occasionally taken in line- fishing, and, although not 

 so good as the black bream and others, is by no means a 

 bad table fish. 



