126 NEW SOUTH WALES 
The other species of cray-fish (Palinurus lalandii) is often to be seen in the shop- 
windows of the Sydney fishmongers, but it chiefly comes from Tasmania. It is 
seldom found on the coast of New South Wales north of Twofold Bay. It is not 
nearly so large as the Sydney cray-fish, but is said to be equally valuable as food. 
R.C. 
The Prawn. 
The prawn (Peneus esculentus) is abundant in most of our shallow bays and 
harbours, and is a most popular article of food amongst all classes. The con- 
sumption of this crustacean is so great that fears have been expressed that the 
supply might become exhausted, and it is undoubted that the size of those brought 
to market now is often much below the average of former years. We do not be- 
lieve, however, that there is any danger of exhausting the supply for a long time 
to come, and the only limit we would suggest to the capture of prawns is what we 
have already advised for the protection of young fish generally—the limitation of 
_ the length of the prawn nets and the size of the mesh. R.R.C. 
There are two well-known species of Penwus, the one just mentioned, 
and P. macleayt. The first reaches a length of 9 inches, and the 
second is not quite as large. Alpheus socialis, Heller, locally named 
the “ Nipper,” is abundant in Port Jackson, and is a good deal sought 
for, but not:so much for food as for bait for black bream fishing. All 
these prawns goa certain distance up the freshwater rivers. In the 
Hunter, about West Maitland, they are much used in the end of summer 
as a bait for perch (Lates), bream, and flathead. 
We have also a kind of prawn in all the western fresh-water rivers. 
It has long narrow claws and attains a pretty good size, so that it is 
used as an article of food. This is described as Palemon ornatus. The 
only true shrimp (Crangon) which Australian waters are known to’ 
possess is found in the Gulf of 8. Vincent, 8. Australia. 
The Freshwater Cray-fish. 
(Plate XLIV.) 
1. Side view, one-third natural ‘size. 1. Rostrum, natural size. 18. Claw, 
natural size, showing peculiar spines. le. Tail. 
We have several species of fresh-water cray-fish in Australia, belong- 
ing to the genus Astacopsis, or as some naturalists callit Astacoides. The 
genus Astacopsis differs from Astacus, the common European fresh-water 
cray-fish, principally in having no appendices to the first segment of the 
abdomen and some minor peculiarities of the feet. A. bicarinatus is 
abundant in all waterholes of most of the continent, Port Essington, 
Cape York, Brisbane, and in both eastern and western waters. These 
cray-fish prefer still waters, and burrow in the banks, often doing much 
injury to dams, &c. They oan brave long droughts in their burrows. 
In the western waters of New South Wales we have a larger and much 
more ornamental species, A. serratus. (Plate XLIV). 4. plebius is 
attributed to Sydney, but it is probably from the Pacific Islands. 
There are different species in Tasmania (4. franklinii), West Australia . 
(A. 5-carinatus, preissii), and North Australia (A. 4-corinatus). There 
is also another species in the swamps of the extreme west, which may 
be another species of the Engeus of Tasmania, which is a small cray-fish 
living in burrows in the swamps, considered by most naturalists a sub- 
genus of Astacopsis. Lngeus fossor is found in Gippsland : a species 
of small size and no value, though the natives used to consume them. 
