SEA FISH. 253 



numbers nor varieties of species can these coasts be at all 

 compared to the British shores. 



The benito sometimes, but rarely, comes into these 

 bays. The butter-fish runs to a large size off the Heads ; 

 and if the accounts I have heard are true, this must be 

 the largest eating-fish off these coasts. The smaller ones 

 used to come on to our beach in summer, and we speared 

 them in shallow water. 



We had two species of large ray, the one which we 

 called the stingoree for, I presume, the stingy ray ; and 

 the other the old maid, or fiddle-fish ; and small flounders 

 abounded on the sandy flats. The stingoree is a very 

 large species of ray, often weighing 15 or 20 Ibs., with a 

 long thin tail, and a long, sharp, jagged spike on the back 

 of the tail, which the fish can erect at pleasure. The 

 fiddler is something similar, but rounder, with a smaller 

 tail, and no spike. Both used to lie on the bottom in 

 shallow water. The back of the fiddle-fish is marked 

 with black lines, and I suppose it derives its name from 

 some fancied resemblance to a fiddle. The livers of both 

 these fish, as well as the shark and dog-fish, boil down to 

 capital oil, and this is the only purpose they are put to, 

 neither being considered eatable. I have, however, eaten 

 both, and, with the help of a bottle of " Burgess's 

 original," should not have known them from skait. Jelly- 

 fish of all shapes and sizes float about the bay; and cut- 

 tle-fish, the long tendons of which are an excellent bait 

 for snapper, and which we called squid, abound on the 

 coasts. There are several nasty-looking fish in these 



