7A NEW SOUTH WALES 
a shell against the lateral and front teeth by which it is crushed, 
Others feed on corals or zoophytes, and some are herbivorous. Beautiful 
colours prevail in this family, and some species which are the most 
prized as food reach a weight of 50 Ibs. 
This family includes all the rock and reef fishes known as parrot-fishes, A 
large number of species are found in our seas, but many of them are only 
occasional visitors from the warmer regions of: the north, where the Labride 
abound. Those that are most familiar to the Sydney public are the ‘‘ blue groper” 
(Cossyphus gouldii), the “‘pig-fish” (Cossyphus unimaculatus), the ‘* Maori” (Coris 
lineolatus), and the ‘‘rock whiting” (Odaa semifasciatus). The first of these is a 
large fish, and though very little appreciated is expoodingly good, indeed the head 
makes the most delicious dish one can well conceive. It is occasionally taken in 
the seine when making a haul near rocks, but the usual way of capturing it is by 
a spear, a mode of fishing which the aborigines and their half-caste descendants 
are very expert at. Several other species of the Labride are said to be very good 
for food, but they are little known.—R.R.C. 
Cossyphus here referred to has a compressed oblong body, with scales 
of moderate size, imbricated scales on the cheeks and opercles, basal 
portion of vertical fins scaly, lateral line uninterrupted, teeth in jaws 
in a single series, four canine teeth in front of each jaw, a posterior 
canine tooth. 
The Blue Groper. 
(Plate XXXL) 
Cossyphus gouldii, Richardson, or the blue groper is a very large dark 
purple fish, attaining a length of from 3 to 4 feet. It has no posterior 
canine teeth, the scales on the cheek are not imbricate, dorsal fin scaly, 
and the caudal truncate. 
Mr. Hill speaks of this fish as the “gruper,” and says “it is popu- 
larly called in this country the blue or black groper, no doubt from the 
fact of these fishes groping in and out of the caverns and crevices of 
rocks in search of crustacez. 
“The gruper, though plentiful, is not a common market fish, neither 
is it sought much after by professional fishermen, for various reasons, 
among which may be mentioned that it is out of their lay for their 
general fishing grounds, as it is essentially a dweller among the caves 
and rocks of the coast, and the rocky points within the harbour, where 
their occupations rarely extend, and also that the gruper may not be, 
from its coarse appearance, a favourite with the general public. 
“Tt is a clumsy-looking fish, with huge scales which hang on with 
great tenacity, requiring a tomahawk to remove them, unless it is done 
immediately after capture—even thén it is a tough job. These fishes 
grow to a large size, and attain a weight of 30 Ibs. or more, either blue 
or bronze when in the water; when taken and dead they soon change 
to a very dark brown or black. These fishes carefully skirt the rocks | 
at flood tide in seach of food; on the ebb they retire at once to deep 
water, and of a calm day may be seen at a moderate depth sporting 
leisurely near the vestibule of their own rocky halls. 
“The gruper is a shy fish when he sees moving objects on the shore. 
The aboriginal when seeking this fish, armed with a couple of spears, 
prosecutes his search with cat-like caution, and when in view is as 
motionless as a statue, keeping, if necessary, that position for a consi- 
derable time till a chance offers, when he darts one of the spears with 
