FOOD FOR THE GODS. 63 
THE WHITING FAMILY.* 
Sand Whiting (Sil/ago ciliata). 
PraTeE XXXIII. 
This is, without a doubt, one of the choicest of the edible 
fishes, not only of New South Wales but of Australia; and 
in the estimation of many people, it is absolutely the finest. 
This being so, the Sand Whiting always commands a good 
market price; 6d. per pound wholesale being not infrequently 
paid, with occasionally as much as gd. per pound. 
This whiting is plentifully distributed over the whole of 
the New South Wales coastline, where it is to be found 
dwelling upon clean, sandy bottoms in all of the harbors 
and the larger coastal lakes, as well as on sandy bottoms in 
fairly shallow water, off the various ocean-beaches. It does 
not, however, go down into deep water. The localities men- 
tioned are its natural feeding grounds, as it subsists almost 
wholly upon organisms which make their home in, or upon, 
the sand. 
The usually means employed for the capture of the Sand 
Whiting is the hauling-net, that is in a commercial way, but 
large quantities are captured annually by amateur anglers 
using hand-lines. In fact, this species is always regarded as 
one of our principal sporting fishes, the gear used by amateurs 
varying greatly according to individual opinion., Mr. R. E. 
Eastway suggests the following plan:—The boat should-be 
moored head and stern on the sand flats on a rising tide. A 
No. 18 varnished silk-twist line, 50 or 100 yards in length, 
strong I yard cast, 2/o hook, and medium bullet. The line 
should be thrown from the boat as far as the sinker will carry 
it, using a whole large worm (not a little bit of it) as bait. 
The Sand Whiting attains a weight of about 24 pounds, 
specimens of I pound and more pee aqaites common 
* These fishes are not ied to the English Whiting, which a member 2 
the Cod Family. 
