74 MEMOIUS OF THE QVEKXSLAXD MUSEUM. 



takes salt well, the larger examples might be preserved by that process, aiul if 

 the fishery were developed on more business-like Hues, they would in time take 

 the place of the vastly inferior imported article, more especially because, as 

 remarked by ilr. Welsby. they do "not become raneid and strong by long 

 keeping as other varieties do."'"' An accessory product of the jewfish, which is 

 totally neglected by our fishermen, is tlu' large, fringed air-bladder; though 

 these require but little care, beyond drying, in their pi-eparation for the market, 

 and are of considerable importance in the manufacture of isinglass, they are 

 invariably thrown away as worthless in these States. 



Food: — Nothing that it can master comes amiss to this cunning, powerful, 

 and voracious prowler, for though the bulk of its food consists of other fishes, it 

 also consumes large quantities of cephalopods, crustaceans, and the like. Being 

 gregarious it is very destructive to spawning fishes, and especially to the sea 

 nuillet, rounding them up in shallow water, and when they are thus huddled 

 together making savage and concerted assaults on tlie massed shoals, killing and 

 maiming many more than they are able to consume, carried away apparently by 

 the lust of slaughter for slaughter's sake. It follows its prey into the estuaries, 

 and even ascends rivers far beyond the infiuence of the tide. Mr. AVelsby records 

 the occurrence of specimens from the basin at Ipswich. 



Rangi : — Shores and estuaries of Temperate Australia. On the Queens- 

 land Coast I do not know certainly of its occurrence further north than the Maiy 

 River, while during tlie six weeks' researches cari'ied out by the I<>ndeavour in 

 our waters it only occurred on one occasion, when two large examples were taken 

 liy hook and line at the Wolf Rock. As we proceed further south it rapidly 

 becomes more abundant and is. as has been shown, a common fish in the Moreton 

 district. Regarding this ^Ir. Welsby writes — "Jewfish of large size come in 

 from sea in attendance upon the .schools of whiting in the months of September 

 and October, and are caught both by the line and in nets up to 60 or 70 lb. in 

 weight, l)ut these extra large ones do )iol appear to go very far up the Bay." It 

 is abundant everywhere along the coastline of New South Wales where, according 

 to Stead (2) it "is, at present, one of our most important food-fishes, and it is 

 likely in the future to be of still greater value, as the demand for it is constantly 

 increasing, while our resotirces, as far as its supply is concerned, are but just 

 tapped." Further .south it is reported to be rare on the coasts of Tasmania and 

 Victoria ; possibly this mas' l)e due to the absence of large rivers, the estuaries of 

 which it loves to fre((uent, 1'ot' [lassing westward we learn From Zietz that it "is 

 sometimes found in great numliers" in the Lower IMurray, where it goes by the 

 native name • ■ mulloway. " Kiaser includes it in his list of West Australian 

 Fishes, hut nothing is known as to its distribution or abundance in that State. 



Diitit n.sujiis: — Attains a weight of 125 11). with a length of over (i ft., but 

 the usual run of market fish is under 30 11). 



Ill list nil 'uni: — Taken ffoin a young speciTnen, 275 iriiii. long, in the 

 collection of the Queensland Mu.seum ; Reg. No. I. 2893. 



""Schn;ipiiciiiig, p. 80. 



