334 FISHES AND FISHING. 



forked. Upper part of head, back, and sides, dark 

 greenish brown ; lower parts, shaded irregularly with 

 blue, yellow, and silver, and flashed with a bronzy 

 lustre. Belly, dull greyish -white, speckled with 

 small brqwn dots, and clouded with purple. Base of 

 tail, red ; fins, faintly flesh-coloured. Iris, yellow. 

 Length, twelve to sixteen inches. 



Owing to its ugliness, this curious fish, which 

 hides itself amongst stones in muddy water, the 

 better to entrap its unsuspecting prey, is, from popu- 

 lar prejudice, less prized than it deserves. Its flesh 

 is extremely delicate and bears a greater resemblance 

 to that of the eel than that of any other sea-fish 

 caught in the colony. 



CLUPEID^. 



37 Cltjpea Ocellata. Mihi. N. Sp. ( Shad; Sardyn. ) 

 — ^Body, compressed, elongated; head, flattened at top ; 

 muzzle, obtuse; upper jaw, with a central notch, 

 and a little projecting. No teeth in eitlier mandible ; 

 eyes and scales, large. One dorsal only ; tail, deeply 

 forked. Length, six to seven inches. Head and 

 back, blue, changeable to green, and shaded with 

 purple, yellow, and gold. Lower jaw and gill 

 covers, silvery, with a reflecting golden lustre ; 

 sides, above the lateral line, crossed by a sky-blue 

 longitudinal stripe. A line of eight to fifteen round. 



