INTRODUCTION. 



The present volume must not be considered otherwise than as 

 an instalment of a much larger and more important work, which 

 it is intended shall include within its scope the entire fishing 

 industries of the Colony, and which it is hoped will be completed 

 within a few years. 



For the proper production of a work, dealing exhaustively with 

 the edible fishes of New South Wales, a much longer time would 

 be necessary than was available for the preparation of this volume ; 

 and that for several reasons, the chief of which are, that the number 

 of species to be included under that category would have to be 

 raised from 93 as here described to about double that number, and 

 that the life history of almost every species and the distribution of 

 many would have to be worked out by personal observation, which 

 would necessitate a considerable amount of both coastal and inland 

 travel. 



The almost total want of reliable evidence on this latter subject, 

 and the apathy and ignorance of those who are brought in daily 

 contact with our food fishes, as forming their means of livelihood, 

 has greatly impeded the author in his endeavor to place before the 

 public as full an account as possible of all such points in connection 

 with the habits of the selected species as w^ould be interesting and 

 useful, and in none has so much difficulty been experienced in 

 obtaining information as in that which concerns the most important 

 function of their lives — the continuation of their species. vSo little 

 interest has been taken in this subject by those whose means of 

 livelihood depend so closely on it, that there are but few, even of 

 our most abundant fishes, of which the date of spawning is known, 

 while as for the more difficult questions, such as the localities 

 where the ova are deposited, the attachment to foreign substances 

 or the flotation of the ova, and the length of time w^hich elapses 

 before the young fish emerges therefrom, absolutely nothing is 

 known. 



With regard to the distribution of the fishes found on our coast 

 New South Wales enjoys a geographical position, which is unique 

 among these colonies, and makes its fish-fauna in some -respects 

 even more interesting than that of its neighbors either to the north 

 or the south, for, whereas that of Queensland is enriched by 

 numerous tropical forms, and those of Victoria and Tasmania by 



