HEriSION OF AUSTRALIAN THEBAPONS.—OGILBY AND McCULLOCE. 113 



Depth 3-3-2 in the length to the hypural joint ; head 3-3-3-5 in the same. Eye 

 4-5-4-6 in the head, 1-3 in the snout, which is 3-4 in the head. Sixth dorsal spine 

 i-8, first dorsal ra}' 2-2-2, second anal spine 1-6-2-1, and pectoral fin 1-6 in the head. 



Body slender in the yonng, deeper in adults. Head rather small. Snout 

 obtusely pointed, jaws equal. Maxillary almost reaching to below the anterior margin 

 of the eye, its hinder portion exposed. Eye of moderate size, shorter than the snout ; 

 interorbital space nearly flat, with feebly developed bony ridges ; its width is a little 

 greater than the length of the snout. Nostrils about their o\vai diameter apart, with 

 raised skinny margins, the anterior with a small lobe. Preorbital strongly serrated. 

 Preopercvilum with rather strong teeth which are largest on the rounded angle. Two 

 flat opercular spines, each of which is cften double ; the lower is the larger, not 

 reaching be^'ond the opercular lobe. Scapula and suprascapula denticulate. 



Each jaw with a row of cardiform, partly depressible teeth externally, followed 

 by a band of vilUform ones. Vomer toothless, the skin surrounding it with a number 

 of minute papillse which resemble teeth but which are soft and free from the bone. 

 Scales slightly enlarged on the anterior portion of the side, very small on the breast. 

 They form the usual sheaths at the bases of the dorsal and anal spines, and extend 

 u^j between the bases of the dorsal, anal, pectoral, and caudal raj^s. 



Dorsal spines long and moderately strong, the fifth and sixth highest, and 

 longer than the rays ; last spine not longer than the penultimate : rays decreasing 

 evenly backwards, the posterior margin of the soft dorsal rounded. Second anal 

 spine longer than the third, as long as or a little longer than the anterior rays ; margin 

 of the soft anal obhquely truncate. Fifth upper pectoral ray longest, the hinder margin 

 of the fin rounded. Ventrals inserted below the third or fourth dorsal spine, the 

 anterior ray with a short filament, and reaching the vent in smaller specimens or 

 not so far in larger ones. Caudal deeply emarginate. 



Silvery, upper surfaces finely dotted with broAvn, each scale Avith a darker 

 margin. 



Described from four specimens, 199-282 mm. long. The young of this species 

 differs greatly from the adult in being elongate, and in having the snout convex. 

 It has been recently figured by McCulloch {loc. cit.), AvhUe the adult is illustrated b}^ 

 Stead {loc. cit.). 



We are indebted to Mr. H. K. Anderson, of the Fisheries Department of 

 New South Wales, for the following interesting notes on the habits and breeding 

 of T. hidyana : — 



" The Silver Perch is one of the most plentiful and important fishes of the 

 western waters of New South Wales, and occurs in large numbers in the Murray 

 River and many of its tributaries. It inhabits clear running waters, and prefers to 

 feed in the vicinity of eddies, breaking the surface like trout in quest of flies and 

 other insects, borne along by the current. It usually attains a weight of five 2:)0unds, 

 although much larger specimens have been taken. The Silver Perch is a good sporting 

 fish, and were it better known to anglers, mam' who now confine themselves exclusively 

 to trout-fishing, would spend some of their time in its quest. It is not generally 

 known that Silver Perch will come readily to a trout-fly or a small spinner, though a 

 whole shoal may be caught with one if the fisherman keeps out of sight and does 

 not frighten them by causing an undue disturbance of the water. Nor must he let a 

 hooked fish escape, or the whole shoal will immediately disappear, and may not 

 show themselves again for a considerable time. I recently caught five fish, weighing 

 from three pounds down to half a pound, from one shoal in half an hour on small 



