S " THETIS " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



about seven hundred, the Crustacea were determined by Haswell, 

 the MoHusca by Brazier, and a Hst of the collections will be found 

 in the Report of the Trustees.* 



The Fishery Commissioners of New South Wales next commenced 

 operations with a beam trawl. Their first essay was made in the 

 S.S. " Dove," and the ground covered extended from Jervis Bay 

 to Botany Bay. This vessel was in trawling service from October 

 22nd to 27th, 1883, and a narrative of the expedition may be con- 

 sulted in the Commissioner's Report f A more technical account 

 was prepared by Macleay,J and although not quite correct as to 

 ■dates is of considerably more interest — two new species of fishes, 

 Lepidotrigla raulhaUi and Raja australis are described, and others 

 mentioned. The Invertebrata obtained do not appear to have 

 been preserved. 



In February, 1884, the Commissioners obtained the use of 

 H.M.C.S. " Ajax," and, again with a beam, trawled off the 

 coast. From one of the Inspector's Reports, kindly lent me by 

 Mr. J. A. Brodie, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, I gather that 

 the first trial was made south of Port Jackson in 45 fathoms, 

 but proved a failure ; it was next lowered in 50 fathoms, and after 

 a run of ten miles the fish caught were " dory, nanny gai, flathead, 

 sting rays, saw fish, and leather jacket." 



Steaming northward the trawl was next day shot in 25 fathoms 

 off Cape Three Points, and raised in 30 fathoms over a ten mile 

 course ; the fish were similar to the last haul, but in greater 

 quantity. The next essay proved a blank ; and of the concluding 

 trial, off Bird Island, in 25 fathoms, the Inspector writes : — 

 "When we hove the trawl up it was torn to ribbons, evidence of 

 it being done by red coral reefs, as pieces of red coi"al were brought 

 up with the remains of the trawl." This is the only bit of 

 information obtainable of the Invertebrata ; what the Inspector 

 mistook for red coral was doubtless the Hydrocoralline, Stylaster 

 sanguineus, obtained by the " Thetis," but never before recorded 

 from this Colony, its habitat being vaguely rendered as " Aus- 

 tralia." 



The waters of Port Jackson and other harbours are largely 

 netted by Italians, chiefly from the Lipari Isles, of whom there 

 is in Sydney a consideralole number engaged in either the selling 

 of fruit or catching of fish. Some of the leading members have 

 attempted trawling on the Italian plan. Instead of working 

 either the beam or otter trawl, they use the Paranza, dragged by 

 two vessels. 



* Avistralian Museum Report for 1881 (1882), pp. 1 and 19. 

 t Report Commissioners of Fisheries N.S.W. for 1883-4, p. 33. 

 X Macleay— Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., viii., 1884, p. 457. 



