74 



It has, moreover, invariably one spine less in the anterior 

 dorsal ; is most abundant on the shallow banks of estuaries, 

 3 to 6 fathoms deep ; enters brackish water more freely ; 

 and, unlike the deep coral-reef variety of the real trumpeter, 

 it is generally captured in nets, and rarely takes a bait of 

 any kind. For these reasons it is perhaps scarcely desirable 

 that this abundant species should be included within the same 

 genus as the Real Trumpeter (?.e., Latrh). Fishermen 

 generally regard the red and silver varieties of the Bastard 

 Trumpeter as distinct species. The reasons given by them 

 are various, but they generally concur in stating that the red 

 is generally a somewhat smaller and leaner fish ; it is 

 almost invariably found on a weedy bottom near shore, and 

 in the upper shallow banks of estuaries, all the year round: 

 while the silver, or white form, is larger, better flavoured, 

 better conditioned, and, for the most part, is generally taken 

 in deeper water in the neighbourhood of reefs towards the 

 mouths of estuaries, during three months of the year only. 

 It is significant, however, that they (the fishermen) generally 

 concur in the statement that the red are always lean, and the 

 silver are as invariably fat. The Red Bastard is rarely 

 caught with maturely developed genital organs, — indeed, the 

 fishermen are mostly all of opinion that they are entirely 

 absent in white and red ; but this is a mistake, founded 

 probably upon the circumstance that a large white fatty 

 mass invariably covers and nearly conceals the genital 

 organs of the Silver Bastard, while the undeveloped condi- 

 tion in the red is sufficient to justify the erroneous opinion 

 in respect of its supposed sterility. 



With regard to the exact spawning season and the 

 spawning-grounds of the Real and Bastard Trumpeter, little 

 is knovrn. We may recapitulate what has been learned, how- 

 ever, with respect to the former : — They are only found with 

 the genital organs in a mature state in the outer coi'al reefs, 

 10 to 70 fathoms deep ; the School-fish, which are in all 

 probability the half-grown, or immature, are however 

 found in shallower rocky bottoms nearer land, although an 

 odd one of the latter may be caught at times among the 

 mature forms in deep water. It is probable, therefore, that 

 the mature fish spawn on the reefs in deep water ; that the 

 young fry afterwards approach the shallower rocky bottom 

 nearer shore, where they grow up into the stage known as 

 " School-fish." As these approach maturity they return to 

 the deep coral reefs from whence they originally migrated. 



The movements of the Bastard Trumpeter are probably 

 vei'y similar to those of the Real Trumpeter. Only the 

 Silver form, found on what may be termed the reefs of the 



