Waite — F'isHES OF South Australia 3 



less accurately to the shape of tlie specimen. The space lietween the skin and 

 llie l)oai'd was stuffed witli sawdnst through lioles previously cut m the board; 

 the hoh's were then filled witli cotton waddinp' to ]U'(»vent tlie sawdust escaping. 

 The process was usually com])leted hy ])asting a ])iece of nc^wspaper over the 

 botird, thus keeping the Avadding in jilace. A ghiss eye was fixed in the orbit 

 of the sliow side and the specimen gentn-ously varnislu'd. The accompanying 

 illustration is from an examjile of Trph r((fops lehra, so treated and pi-eserved, 

 with some others, in this Museum. 



The Government has assisted the ])ublication of the catalogue, financially, 

 and, at the instance of the Department of Fisheries and Clame, asked that its 

 scope should be extended to interest a larger number of userS than would obtain 

 if the list were restricted to jnu-ely systematic records. To this end the number 

 of illustrations has been greatly increased. It was originally intended to supply, 

 as far as possible, a figure of a representative species of each genus; as it now 

 stands all species of which a useable picture could be obtained are illustrated. 

 These illustrations will assist in arriving at an approximate disposition in the 

 system of any specimen obtained ; they must not, however, be relied upon for 

 absolute determinations ; important features, such as the nature of the teeth 

 and squamation and certain comparative dimensions not being indicated. First 

 choice of illustrations has been made from the published drawings by Mr. A. II. 

 McCulloch and myself, either jointly or separately; photographs of casts made 

 in the Museum by the formator, Mr. Robert Limb, under my supervision, and 

 coloured by Mr. G. A. Barnes, have also beoi used, but the bulk of the figures 

 are culled from illustrations wliich have appeared in scientific literature 

 published in different parts of the world, the source of which will generally be 

 found in the references to the species to which they are assigned. 



To meet the reciuirements of the public, as i-epi-esented by tln^ Fisheries 

 Department, short explanatory notes are appended to the entries of many of the 

 species, especially such as are used for food. 



I have also been asked to supply "common names" for the fishes; where 

 such names exist, these are given : many fishes, however, have no such names, for 

 some of these more or less appropriate ones have been furnished. The edible 

 fishes have, naturally, been named by the public, but such names vary greatly in 

 the different States, and Mr. D. G. Stead has written a pamphlet "On the need 

 for more uniformity in the vernacular names of Australian Edible Fishes. "(•^) 

 Where known, the aboriginals' names of fishes have been furnished, and some 

 of these, as for example "Mulloway" for the Butter-fish (Sciaena antarctica), 



{'^) Stead, Publications, Fisheries Branch, N.S.W., 1911, 12 p 



