GURNARDS OR GURNETS.- 201 



grows to a length of twenty inches, though those brought 

 to market are usually considerably below that size. 



The Sharp beaked Gurnard has a considerable dis- 

 tribution along the southern half of the Australian coastline, 

 being found in the waters of New South Wales, Victoria, ( ?) 

 bouth Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. It is 

 usually termed by amateur fishermen and others "Flying" 

 ( iiirnard. a name which as previously pointed out is more 

 correctly applied to another fish. 



In this species the head is very heavily armed, there 

 being two large and powerful, flattened spines projecting 

 in front of the snout and four others which are long, rounded 

 and acute, at the back of the head (two on each side), there 

 being also two or three short blunted ones on the lower 

 part of the preopercle on each side. In addition to all these, 

 there is a very long and strong, ridged spine on each side 

 upon the clavicle, above the pectoral fin. The eyes are very 

 large and are situated right at the top of the head, there 

 being a deep concave space between them. 



Fig. 70. SHARP-BEAKED GURNARD (Merygotrigla polyommata). 



The general colour of the Sharp-beaked Gurnard is a 

 beautiful reddish-pink ; the lower parts being whitish, while 

 along each side is a broad silver band. 



It grows to a length of about twenty inches. 



This fish is fairly common on outside sandy grounds 

 in moderately-deep water along the New South Wales coast, 

 at least as far up as Camden Haven. It is captured bv 

 means of hook and line with a flesh bait. Considerable 



