246 TS-ATTJEAL HISTOBY SKETCHES. 



fresh as salt water. They are the only fish that will 

 rise to the fly here, and catching them is about on a par 

 with whipping for dace and roach at home. For fly- 

 fishing the Tarra and the Barwen are the Coquet and 

 the Dove of Victoria. I believe the general fly in use 

 out here is red body and white wings ; but the Victorian 

 fly-fisher requires no very varied assortment of flies in 

 his book. Both the herring and mullet are bright, clean- 

 looking fish, but they run to no great size. 



I believe the Murray cod is a fine fish; so large, 

 according to the accounts I have heard, that I fear my 

 readers would never be able to swallow them. I have, 

 however, seen one over 201bs., and it resembled its 

 European namesake in no one point that I could per- 

 ceive. Cod-fishing in the Murray, however, is now 

 becoming a lucrative trade. In the large rivers up the 

 country, such as the Murray and Darling, there may be 

 other fish and better fishing than on the coast, but my 

 remarks apply only to the Melbourne district. 



Small crayfish abound in all the swamps ; and a small 

 species of turtle is taken on the banks of some of the 

 inland rivers, the eggs of which are considered a delicacy. 

 There are no species of pike or perch in these lakes and 

 rivers, and none of those soft fish, such as the roach, 

 chub, or carp, peculiar to Britain. The flesh of Vic- 

 torian fresh- water fish is certainly very meagre. 



One thing is quite clear that Victoria is no country 

 for the angler. I hardly ever saw a stream on this side 

 adapted to throwing the fly. Even if the fish were 



