112 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



Deep down in one of the pools were certain 

 black bars, which, being disturbed, revealed their 

 silver sides. They were the matrons, whence 

 came the ova. 



And now for a Murray cod. We took the 

 train at the Spencer Street Station of the 

 Northern system of Victorian railways, for 

 Echuca, on the Murray River. The shortest 

 route is via Seymour, 144 miles, but we wanted 

 to see Sandhurst, which made the journey twelve 

 miles longer. 



Sandhurst is the Bendigo of early nugget-of- 

 gold fame, but rather different in appearance 

 from the Surrey military college at York Town, 

 surrounded with its fine trees. 



After taking a turn in " Bendigo " we went to 

 Echuca, situated on a peninsula formed by the 

 junction of the Murray and the Campaspe Rivers, 

 headquarters of the wool trade. The Murray runs 

 through the public park, beautiful because Nature 

 has been simply educated, and not tormented, into 

 formalit}^ 



The river was in fairly full flood, and time being 

 no object, we decided to take a trip in one of the 

 smart paddle-steamers, about the size of those that 

 ply on the Thames, but very flat floored, much 

 broader in the beam, and drawing next to nothing. 



