EDIBLE FISHES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



The obvious iuference is tliat certain individuals Laving made their 

 wav into the Snowy Eiver at its embouchure into the ocean gradually 

 worlc upwards and eventually find themselves in the pool below the Falls, 

 and, being unable to proceed, remain there until captured or swept down by 

 flood to the estuary again ; these latter, having since their forced return 

 into calmer and warmer waters, grown sybaritic and fat, may possibly be 

 Castelnau's " not very common " L. antarcticus, which he describes as 

 '• silvery " and " very savory." 



"With a coast line such as that of New South Wales, extending from lat. 

 2S°13' S.,its northern border at Point Danger, to lat. 37° 30' S. on its 

 southern at Cape Howe, the season or seasons of spawning necessarily vary 

 greatly, but with very few species have such extended observations been 

 recorded as to make the data reliable ; it may, however, be taken for granted 

 that the periods as a rule occur earlier in our northern and warmer waters 

 than on our southern seaboard.* 



From personal observation of many examples obtained from different 

 localities between Port Stephens and Ulladulla, the Perch spawn during the 

 latter half of June and the earlier halt" of July only. In the Clarence 

 Eiver District the date, however, is given as July and August. 



Their food consists of small fishes and crustaceans, but in one instance 

 seaweeds and corallines alone were detected. As a table fish they are of 

 fair quality ; and being voracious they give good sport to river anglers, 

 greedily taking such baits as worms, grubs, prawns, small frogs, &c. It 

 attains to a weight of five pounds at least, and according to Tenison Woods 

 even reaches seven and a half pounds. 



The Perch is common in the rivers and estuai'ies along the entire coast 

 line of the colony at least as far north as the Richmond River, but according 

 to Saville Kent " does not so far appear to have been met with in Queensland 

 waters ;" in Alctoria it is abundant, the Gippsland Lakes being especial 

 strongholds of the species, while in South Australia it extends at least as 

 far west as the embouchure of the Murray ; in Tasmania it appears to be 

 for the most part confined to the " fresh and brackish landlocked waters of 

 the north-east coast " (Johnston), while in a subsequent paper this author 

 states that it is "confined to Anson's River," where it is "abundant all the 

 rear round." 



Genus XL— ENOPLOSUS. 



Enoj)Josus, Lacepede, Hist. Xat. Poiss. iv. p. 511, 1802 ; Cuv. & Yal. Hist. 

 Nat. Poiss. ii. p. 133, 182S. 



Branchiostegals seven : pseudobranchia? present. Body elevated and 

 strongly compressed. Opercle spineless : preopercle coarsely serrated on 

 both limbs ; the produced angle with strong spines : preorbital denticulated. 

 Tilliform teeth on the jaws, vomer, palatines, and tongue. Two dorsal fins, 

 the first with eight spines : the anal with three : all the fins, except the 

 caudal, much elongated. Scales moderate, eyelid : bases of the vertical fins 

 scaly. Airbl adder large. Pyloric appendages in moderate numbers 



Geographical distribution. — South-eastern coasts of Australia. 



ENOPLOSUS ARMATUS. 



Chcetodon armatus, White, Voy. N. S. Wales, pi. xxxix. fig. 1, 1790. 



Enoplosus vjhitii, Lacep. Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv. p. 541. 



Enoplosus armatus, Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. ii. p. 133, pi. xx ; Gnth. 



Catal. Fish. i. p. 81; Casteln. Proc. Zool. Soc. Vict. i. 1872, p. 47; 



Macleay, Catal. Austr. Fish. i. p. 9 ; Woods, Fisher. N. S. Wales. 



p. 32, pi. ii. 



* Tliia remark is of course intended to apply equally to all our marine or estuarine fishes. 



