i 54 FISHES OF AUSTRALIA. 



Sea. On the Atlantic coast of America it ranges from 

 Central Brazil and the Guianas, through the Gulf of Mexico 

 and north to Nova Scotia though never seen in the Bay of 

 Fundy. It occurs also in the Malay Archipelago, at the 

 Cape of Good Hope, at Natal and about Madagascar. In 

 America it is generally-familiar under the title of "Blue- 

 fish," while in South Africa the name of "Elft" or "Elft- 

 visch" is applied to it. In Australian waters, this important 

 food-fish is very common along the coasts of Queensland, 

 New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western 

 Australia, being also found in Tasmanian waters, though 

 it does not appear to be so abundant there. Though adult 

 Tailer (or Tailor) are adapted for roaming over large areas 

 of water and do so the young are found in great pro- 

 fusion in many of the inlets embraced within its habitat. 

 Particularly is this so in Port Jackson, where large num- 

 bers of immature examples are enclosed in almost every haul 

 of the "garfish" or "hauling" net. Even in the inlets them- 

 selves, the young often mass themselves together so as to 

 form large shoals, particularly when small fishes like the 

 young of the Pilchard are present in great quantities. 

 Amongst these the young Tailer, trying to emulate their 

 older relatives, play great havoc. When the Tailer are 

 roaming about in the harbour of Port Jackson in shoals, 

 hundreds of men and boys line the wharves ; all endeavour- 

 ing to entice the fish to take their bait ; which is not a very 

 difficult feat to accomplish, as a Tailer is usually too hungry 

 to stop to see whether there is anything attached to the bait. 

 Shoals of the full-grown fish also often make their appear- 

 ance in the harbours, but, as a rule these prefer the open 

 sea. However, the adults are nearly always present either 

 singly or in small groups in the harbours and lakes. In 

 Port Jackson and other localities when a net is hauled 

 ashore, not uncommonly half a mullet will be picked out of 

 the net ; usually the head part. When one sees this he knows 

 that "Master Tailer" has been busy; for, it is a habit of 

 this fish, that when he cannot take in the whole of a fish 

 he takes as large a portion as he can comfortably or, per- 

 haps, uncomfortably swallow ; snapping it off with his 

 wonderful steel-trap-like jaws. It is a most absorbing and 



