50 EDIBLE FISHES OF XEW SOUTH WALES. 



all seasons for fisli curing," wliile Capt. Eobinson remarked : — " I considered 

 Snapper (cured) equal to Cod, and far superior to Ling' ' ; that is as ships' 

 prorisions. 



Tlio Snapper grows to at least twenty five pounds weight with a length of 

 thirty inches. Casteluau's twice repeated statement that it " sonaetiines 

 weighs up to fifty pounds" is altogether wrong. 



PAGEUS SAEBA. 



Sparus sarha, Forsk. Descr. Anim. p. 31, 1775 ; Gmel. Syst. ISTat. p. 1275. 

 Chrjjsoplirys sarha, Cuv. & Yal. Hist. Nat. Poiss. vi. p. 102 ; Eiipp. N. W. 



Fisch. p. 110, pi. xxviii. fig. 1 ; Gnth. Catal. Fish. i. p. 488 ; Kner. Toy. 



Novara, Fisch. p, 88 ; Day, Fish. Ind. p. Ii2, pi. xxxiv. fig. 6 ; Macleav, 



Catal. Austr. Fish. i. p. liS. 



Tarwhiiie. 

 Plate XIV. 



B. vi. D. 11/12-13. A. 3/11. Y. 1/5. P. 15 (11). C. 17. L. lat. 58-Gl. 



L. tr. 7/M. Coee. pyl. 3. Vert. 10/14. 



Length of head 400-l"25, of caudal fiu 3-85-4'20, height of body 

 2-66-2^80 in the total length. Eye rather large, its diameter 3-70-4-00 in the 

 length of the head, l"75-2'00 in that of the rounded snout, and 1*10-1'25 in 

 that of the very convex interorbital space. Nostrils approximate, the anterior 

 small, oval, and oblique, the posterior elongate and oblique, entering the 

 orbital ring. Upper jaw the longer. Cleft of mouth moderate, horizontal ; 

 the maxilla extending to beneath the middle of the orbit or not quite so far. 

 Upper profile of head parabolic, the preocular swelling but little apparent. 

 Opercle with a single blunt point. Three pairs of broad cutting teeth in front' 

 of each jaw, behind which are several lateral series — four or five in the upper, 

 and three or four in the lower jaw— of rounded molars, which gradually 

 increase in size towards the base of the jaw; posteriorly there is a single 

 enormously enlarged ovate tooth, situated in the middle line of the series. 

 Dorsal spines rather weak and flexible, the fourth the longest, 2-15-2'50 in 

 the length of the head, the last spine two thirds of the longest, and equal to 

 the first ray : the anal commences beneath the third dorsal ray, and termi- 

 nates a short distance behind that fin ; the third spine is longer than but not 

 so strong as the second, and is only two thirds of the length of the longest 

 dorsal spine : the ventral fins do not nearly reach to the vent ; the outer 

 ray is without rudiment of filament, l-50-l'6G in the length of the head : 

 pectorals falciform, extending beyond the origin of the anal fin, one 

 fourth to one half longer than the head : caudal emarginate, the height of 

 the pedicle one fourth of that of the body. Scales feebly ctenid, adherent : 

 snout, preorbital, maxilla, and interorbital space scaleless : dorsal spines set 

 in a deep groove, the rayed portion and the anal with a broad scaly sheath : a 

 long narrow scale above the base of the ventral fin, as long as or longer than 

 the spine. Lateral line forming a long gentle curve to the base of the pedicle, 

 thence straight. 



Colors. — Upper surface of head lead color; preorbital and preopercle 

 silvery ; cheeks and opercles with a golden tinge ; body silvery, each scale 

 with a broad, median, dull gold bar, forming together longitudinal bands, 

 which become gradually fainter on the lower part of the sides ; generally a 



