184 THE PERCH. 



from 3 Ibs. to IO Ibs. it is considered most market- 

 able, is without doubt a delicious fish, and said to 

 eat better than a grey mullet. It abounds in most 

 of the rivers north of Sydney, and in those of the 

 western watershed, such as the Murray and Mac- 

 quarie and their numerous tributaries, affording 

 good sport for anglers and a valuable supply of 

 excellent food ; they are usually caught for market 

 with a trammel or bag-net set across the stream, 

 or by hook and line. They have been introduced 

 into several of the inland lakes near Sydney, such 

 as Lake George, Lake Bathurst, &c., where they 

 thrive remarkably well, becoming immense fish, 

 and exceeding fat. A large specimen was ex- 

 hibited at the Great International Fisheries, 1883. 

 Large quantities arc daily, during the cold weather, 

 sent to the Melbourne and Adelaide markets from 

 the Murray and its tributaries ; the supply for the 

 Sydney markets is obtained from Lake George 

 and from the Macquarie river, but chiefly from the 

 Murrumbidgce, being forwarded by train from 

 Wagga Wagga. 



The following is an abstract from Mr. Wilson's 

 Character of the Murray Cod : " He is idle, he 

 moves but slowly, and in consequence he cannot do 

 injury to the small fish, which are generally so 

 alert. He is solitary in his habits, he swims up 

 little currents of water, and easily accommodates 

 himself in a water-hole ; a water-hole being a large 

 hole in the bed of the river, always full of water, 

 frequently found in the rivers of Victoria when the 

 great heat of the sun has dried up their course." 



The other Australian Percida are the two species 

 of golden perch (Ctenolates ambiguus), found in the 

 Victorian fresh waters, and at Wagga Wagga, on 



