GRUNTERS AND BOAR-FISHES. 123 



This fish has a very pretty appearance ; the body being 

 of a greyish-green tint and having a number of longitudinal 

 bands of, usually, a brownish tint, running along it. 



The Silver Perch is one of the best known amongst 

 our fluviatile food-fishes. It occurs in the whole of the 

 waters of the Murray River system, even up into parts of 

 Queensland, and down to the limits of salt-water in South 

 Australia. It attains a weight of about 5 pounds, and is 

 highly prized wherever it is known, on account of its edibl? 

 value. Though occasionally obtained by means of hook and 

 line the usual way of capturing it is with the gill-net as 

 in the case of the "Golden Perch." 



The Silver Perch is really a most beautiful looking fish 

 both as regards colour and shape. It has a uniformly- 

 silvery appearance; the body, particularly the back, being 

 finely dotted over with a darker colour and each body-scale 

 having a very pretty dark outline. In many parts of western 

 New South Wales, this fish is familiarly-known as 

 "Grunter" : because of the grunting or snorting sound made 

 by it when captured. It is also known as "Black Bream'' 

 in some parts and in others "Silver Bream." The native 

 Murrumbidgee name for it is said to be "Kooberry." On 

 the lower reaches of the Murray River in South Australia, 

 the aboriginal name of "Tcheri" or "Cheerey" is used. 



The Queensland Trumpeter : The Australian home 

 of this magnificent food-fish is principally along the coast 

 of Queensland, where it is well and favourably known. It 

 also abounds to some extent on the northern portions of the 

 New South Wales coast, and is found in Western Australia. 

 In addition to its Australian habitat, it is known from the 

 Red Sea, the east coast of Africa and the Malay Archi- 

 pelago. 



In addition to the name given above, it is also known 

 in Queensland as the "Javelin Fish." 



The casual observer would pass this fish as "a kind of 

 Bream" ; and certainly it is rather Bream-like in shape. 



The colours vary with age, but the body is usually 

 prettily ornamented along the upper parts with prominent 

 irregular dark spots. 



In our waters this species grows to a length of at least 



