68 NEW SOUTH WALES 
head with a short club for the purpose, hard or gently, according to the 
size. These bones appear to be lifted at will, to show the anger of the 
fish, and are about from 1 to 14 inch long. 
“These fishes take a bait freely at night. I have seen the deck of a 
vessel strewn with flathead after a couple of hours’ fishing. Three or 
four vessels had taken shelter in Botany Bay, on the south side, from a 
southerly gale which prevailed. The fishes also appeared to have moved 
over, from the same cause perhaps, as the place was literally alive with 
them, and many were captured witn the hook and line on that occasion, 
but no very large ones were caught; they appeared to be all young fishes 
about 18 inches and some 2 feet long.” , 
The Flying Gurnard. 
Trigla, or Flying Gurnards as they are called, are well known from 
their peculiar squarish heads and their long and broad pectoral fins like 
wings. One of their peculiarities is the possession of three finger-like 
pectoral appendages, which serve as organs of locomotion as well as touch 
They make a grunting noise when taken out of the water, which is, says 
Giinther, from the escape of gas from the air-bladder through the pneumatic 
duct. The colours of the pectoral fins are very beautiful, as the following 
description of our species, Trigla kumu, Lesson (plate X XVI, upper 
figure) will show. It is taken from the Prodromus of the Zoology of 
Victoria, by Professor M‘Coy, F.R.S., who gives an excellent coloured 
figure :—“ Dead yellowish on cheeks, purplish grey above on front 
and behind, back and sides a dull pale cinnamon brown, with an olive 
tinge and with large blotches, irregular in size, shape, and disposition, 
of a dull Indian-red or reddish brown. Dorsal fins very pale brownish 
and yellowish, anal and ventral with reddish rays on the outer side, on 
inner side pale yellowish olive with a pale narrow greyish blue margin, 
with two or three rows of small oval spots of the same colour within the 
border. A large ovate black blotch between the third and sixth rays 
‘from the lower edge, having about five oblong, opaque, white spots, 
tinged with bluish along its upper edge, and three running down the. 
middle ; caudal fin reddish, with browner rays darker towards the 
margin ; throat and belly pure white, iris golden yellow.” We have 
two other species in Port Jackson, besides species of the nearly allied 
genus Lepidotrigla, only distinguished by larger scales, which Dr. 
Ginther now unites with Zrigla. “Resplendent in their covering, 
brilliant in their ornament, rapid in swimming, swift in flight, living 
‘together without strife, defending without injuring themselves, one 
‘would think they should be included amongst those beings on which 
Nature has bestowed the most favours.” —Lacepede. 
[In plate XXVII a figure is given of Trigla polyommata, Richardson, . 
or the flying gurnet, which is found on all the Australian coasts, from 
New South Wales to Western Australia. ] 
“The gurnards,” says Mr. Hill, “also rejoice in the name of growlers, 
from a sort of grunt which they give when taken out of the water. 
Perhaps the present 7'rigla is exempt from such a stigma—at least it is. 
in the waters of Port Jackson, so far as-I know. Certainly it is one of 
the most beautiful frequenters of our harbour, and singular for the size 
