29 



most delicious flavour, having no bones of any size but the 

 back series ; it may be eaten without that attention which 

 is due to other fish in this respect. The following extract 

 is from the Report of the Commissioners : — 



" The ordinary Sydney Gar-fish comes in from the sea in the 

 latter end of summer, to deposit its spawn in suitable spots in the 

 harbour. It is then in the finest condition, and makes its appear- 

 ance in successive shoals, some of them of enormous size. During 

 the latter end of February of this year (1880) the shoah were so 

 large that several boat-loads were taken in one haul of the seine, 

 and the fish on the spot could be purchased for sixpence a bushel. 

 The ' Long Tom ' {Belone ferox) is also of this family ; it is a good 

 fish, but not so fashionable as the Gar-fish, and, Uke it, is taken 

 only in the net." — R. R. Com.., pp. 33, 34. 



Other species, as H. connnersoni, H. argenteus, are rare 

 with us, and recently Scomberesox forsteri has been taken 

 in Port Jackson. Belone ferox, the " Long Tom " of the 

 fishermen, " green-bone," and " gar-fish " of Europeans, is 

 also a good table-fish ; it is seldom taken with the line, 

 but at times in considerable number with the seine. It 

 reaches the length of 4 feet, but is usually found about 

 2^- to 3 feet long ; it has not the delicate flavour of the 

 gar-fishes {Hemirhamphiis^, There are three or four 

 species of Belone on our coast, all known under the name 

 of "Long Toms" by the fishermen. One s]iec\&s [Belone 

 kreftii, Gthr.) inhabits the fresh waters of Queensland. 



Clupeid^. 



No less than ten species of this family inhabit the 

 Australian waters, all of which have been recently revised 

 and described by the Hon. W, Macleay, in vol. iv,, p. 363, 

 of ' The Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South . 

 Wales.' 



