FISH IN THE SOUND 155 



that is the common species, is seen in the Bight in schools 

 of two or three hundred. 



Fish that were most common in the Sound and the 

 surrounding waters, consisted of species of rock-cod, ling, 

 barracudas, dories, suckers, conyrodus, albicores, bonitos, 

 and conger-eels. Some of these fish grow to a great size, 

 and some are but little esteemed for food, though all 

 find a market in the townships on the Sound. There is 

 a remarkable absence of flat-fish here, as in most Australian 

 waters, though a fish which 1 recognised as Psettodes 

 erunice is found in scanty numbers in the months of 

 October, November, and December. 



All the fish enumerated above were found by me in 

 the Bight, except the congers and Psettodes. 



Other fish of the Sound which were not seen in the 

 Bight are dog-fish, which are very numerous and voracious, 

 and the common meagre {Scicena aquild), which is scarce, 

 but grows to a large size, some taken just outside Albany 

 bay having weighed more than one hundred pounds. 

 Sun-fish, too, have been taken which weighed four hundred 

 pounds, and there are a vast number of the lower types 

 of marine organisms, many of which are exceedingly 

 beautiful and curious in colour and form. 



Altogether I collected about eighty species of fishes in 

 King George's Sound, some of which are common to all 

 Australian marine-waters. I had nearly forgotten to add 

 that sharks are numerous in and about the Sound, and 

 exceedingly dangerous to careless bathers. Strangers 

 should not enter these waters except at the duly appointed 

 and protected bathing-places. 



