SEA-riSlI, OTSTEES, ETC. 219 



to the bridge-end any morning, when the fish-carts 

 come up. 



The principal sea-fish here are snapper, flathead, sea- 

 pike, salmon, salmon-trout, mullet, herring, and gar-fish. 

 There are doubtless other species, unknown to me, but 

 these were the common market fish on our coasts. The 

 snapper and flathead are about the only ones taken by 

 the hook. There are some famous oyster-beds in 

 "W^esteru Port Bay, and there must also be oysters in 

 Port Phillip Bay, only no beds have yet been found, for 

 I have often picked up capital oysters on this beach, 

 washed ashore after a heavy gale. The wholesale price 

 for oysters in Western Port Bay is Sd. per dozen. The 

 oyster, peculiar to our bays, was large, and resembled 

 the coarse British oj^ster in appearance and flavour ; but 

 there is a very pretty little shell-fish, which they call the 

 Sydney oyster; this is not the shape of the common 

 oyster, being long and deep, and the shell ridged. The 

 pearl oyster, which is found on some of these coasts, is 

 not met with in these bays. Some very large cray-fish 

 are taken at the Heads. Shrimps used to abound in Port 

 Phillip Bay ; and when they sold at Ss. per quart, and ci 

 man could catch some gallons in the day, shrimping was 

 as good as gold digging. An old friend of mine made a 

 little fortune at it when thirsty gold diggers swarmed in 

 the Melbourne public-houses. Strange to say, all the 

 shrimps have now disappeared from this bay. 



The snapper season is the fisherman's harvest herej 

 they come on to these coasts about September (I recoUeet 



