KNIFE-JAWED FISHES. WHITING FAMILY. 109 



Fisheries, New South Wales. The colour of the fish when 

 alive was a bright red. with some angular yellow bars about 

 the middle of the sides. It measures a little over 10 inches. 



THE KNIFE-JAWED FISHES. 

 (Family: Hoplognathida.) 



TUP: fishes which constitute this family are specially char- 

 acterised by the jawbones having a sharp cutting edge so 

 as to form a kind of beak. The body is compressed and 

 deep and is covered with small ctenoid scales. Little is 

 known regarding the habits and distribution of the Aus- 

 tralian Knife-jaw (Hoplognathus conwayi). 



THE WHITING FAMILY. 



(Family: Sillaginidce.) 



THIS is a very important family in Australian waters, as it 

 comprises amongst its members, some of the principal food- 

 fishes of several of the States. The most important of these 

 are: the Sand Whiting (Sillago ciliata), the Trumpeter 

 Whiting (Sillago maculata), and the Spotted Whiting 

 (Sillago punctata). 



The Sand Whiting is rightly regarded as, if not 

 actually the finest, second to none amongst all the Australian 

 fishes, as a table fish. The flesh is white, firm and flaky, 

 and is easily digestible. For these reasons, this fish always 

 commands good prices in our markets ; and, whatever may 

 be said of other fishes, there is never a ''glut" of Sand 

 Whiting. 



It is plentifully distributed over the whole of the New 

 South Wales coastline, the greater part of that of Queens- 



