186 I'l-of. M'Coy on the Recent Zoologn 



certain seasons — the " barraconta/' perfectly identical with the 

 Tkersites atim of the Cape; it is one of the few fish dried and 

 ])rcserved in large quantities in Victoria. Of the Scombrida?, 

 the only trne Mackerel are rare visitors, the Scomber austrcda- 

 sicus having only occurred to me twice in several years, and the 

 S. pneumatophoHs very lately ; but of the tunny we have a new 

 species, Thynnus australis (M'Coy), a not uncommon visitor; 

 and the Echeneis remora is occasionally found in Hobson's Bay. 

 The true dory [Zeus faber), perfectly identical with Mediterra- 

 nean specimens, is a not very uncommon straggler into our 

 seas; but in fish-markets the infinitely inferior table fish, the 

 Australian "boarfish" [Histiopterus recurvirostris), is constantly 

 sold under this name, although easily distinguished from the 

 dory, even by unscientific purchasers, by the want of the round 

 dark spot in the middle of the sides. The Oyttus [Capros) 

 australis is common, but too small to be used for the table. Of 

 the allied family Carangidsej many interesting species occur in 

 our seas. Tiie common " horse-mackerel" {Trachurus trachurus), 

 perfectly identical with English specimens, appears occasionally; 

 and the Caranx georgiarms, under the name of " silverfish," is 

 still more common. A fine species of Seriola, nearly three feet 

 long, is occasionally caught in numbers, and is sometimes called 

 by the fishmongers " yellow tail,'^ as at St. Helena ; and some- 

 times it is sold and noticed in the newspapers under the name 

 of " Bonito," with which its size and quality of flesh caused 

 them to confound it ; it differs only in small details from the 

 Seriola Lalandi, of which I believe it to be a mere trifling 

 variety. A curious instance of an almost cosmopolitan fish of 

 this same family (Carangidse) is the "skipjack'^ {Temnodon 

 saltator), of which I have obtained many specimens in Hobson's 

 Bay exactly identical with examples from New York, or the 

 West Indies, or the Cape of Good Hope. There are many small 

 species of Gobius, Callionymus, and Blennius, many of the latter 

 viviparous ; but they are not specially interesting or important. 

 The Clinus despicillatus and Cristiceps abound amongst the sea- 

 weed between high- and low-water marks. The gourami 

 (Osphromenus olfax) has been introduced and lived in a pond in 

 my botanic garden at the university for nearly two years, until 

 devoured by the herons ; and it also lived in the ponds of the 

 Acclimatization Society long enough to show that the experiment 

 of the acclimatization of this famous table fish may be expected 

 to succeed in ponds or tanks favourably placed. Two species of 

 Ather'ina and two of Mugil are not uncommon in the bay ; but 

 the commonest " mullet " found abundantly in the fish-market 

 for the table is the Agonostoma Forsteri. Two sj)ecies of Gly- 

 phidodon or Melambapkcs are common, and may often be found 



