NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



37 



author tells us he means " all of those fishes which — while not 

 being of a noxious or unpleasant character (such as Toad- 

 Fishes, Porcupine-Fishes, &c.) — attain a marketable size, or else 

 occur in sufficient abundance to render them of use as adjuncts 

 to our food supply. Strictly speaking, of course, using the 

 term in its widest application, it would necessarily include a 

 host of small fry, like the Gobies, Blennies, &c. ; but with one or 

 two exceptions, such as these are not here taken into account." 

 That this fish industry is not a negligible quantity is proved by 

 statistics. During the five years 1903-7, 48,243,238 lb. (or 

 643,243 baskets) of fish have passed through the fish markets of 

 New South Wales, and this does not include a large amount 

 sold without passing through recognized trading centres. 



Among game-fishes, the freshwater Perch (Percalates fluvia- 

 tilis) attains a weight " of at least 5 lb.," and is considered by 

 anglers as "the finest sporting fish in our rivers, indigenous or 

 introduced " ; while of the most inedible or despised fishes some- 

 thing may be done, as there is a slight and perhaps growing 

 demand for the pectoral flaps or " wings " of the Common Sting- 

 ray (Trygonoptera testacea), and for years there has been a 

 small export of dried Sharks' fins through the agency of the 

 Chinese merchants. 



To this useful volume there are attached eighty-one plates 

 and a map showing the river drainage of New South Wales. 



The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers. By Sutton & Sons. 

 Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd. (Thir- 

 teenth edition, 1908.) 



The main subject of this excellent volume is outside the pur- 

 view of 'The Zoologist,' but the chapter devoted to " The Pests 

 of Garden Plants " is carefully and popularly, while yet scienti- 

 fically, written and illustrated, and supplies a want. We have 

 been frequently asked by gardeners and lovers of horticulture 

 where this information in a concise and non-technical present- 

 ment may be obtained, and have no hesitation in saying that 

 this publication is certainly one in which it may be found. To 

 extirpate the living creatures that act as destructive pests to our 



