15 
NOTES OE THE EDIBLE FISHES OF VlCTOlUA. 
or Rock <‘0(1, which is niiicli esteemed for food, and is commonly 
brought to the market, particularly' in tlie cold montlis of the 
year; the chin beai’s a short barbel. 
The following family is (Jbiiidiuke, remarkable by its long, 
elongated, naked body. It contains the Mock li)uj {Gcu ljdccaH 
A which is very (ioinmon in the market, and considered 
veiy delicate; it is sometimes two feet long, and is covei*ed with 
large brown, marbled blotches; it has two long barbels. 
The family of Pleuroneotiil-e, or flatfish, offer a particular inte- 
rest, as being almost entirely composed of soi*ts highly esteemed 
for the table. I have described under the names of Rhomhosolea 
Bassensis and Pleuronectes Victorke, the common Sole and 
Flounder of the Melbourne market, but s]:»eciiuens seem to dilfer 
considerably in the number of the fin rays, in the form of the 
lateral line, and I have not yet ascertained if they form different 
species, or if these parts are subject to much variations. 
SiLiJRiDiE, usually so numerous in the fresh waters of the warm 
countries, are only represented here by the Murray catfish {Copi- 
doylanis Tandanus), from the Murray river. It is a hideous, 
looking fish, but fit for the table, as are most, if not all, the species 
of the family it belongs to; it attains over two feet in lengtli, and 
jn'esents much variations in its coloiu’s; the fishermen of the 
Murray distinguisli, I am told, three different varieties (tlie black, 
the white, and the blue), but I believe that they present no specific 
differences. 
The family of Hiiplockitonidw has been formed on the Yarra 
lieTring, oi‘ Prototrocies Marwna., to which lias been added another 
species from New Zealand. The Yarra herring used to be very 
common in the Yarra, but lias nearly disappeai*ed from that liver, 
as since Wo years I have not been able to obtain one single 
specimen. It is still to be found in the Watts river, which is a 
tributary of the Yaira, but even there is becoming scarce. It is 
said that the cause of its disa]i]iearance has been the introduction of 
the voracious Murray cod. The rivers of tlie north of Tasmania 
have a soi't perhaps similar to the Yarra lierring. 
The ScovELiOyEhave only one representative in these waters; it 
is a large iind most beautiful fish, very rare on the Victorian coast, 
but much more common towards Sydney, where it is known as 
Sergeant Baker ; its colours are truly magnificent, being a 
mixture of grey, scarlet, and orange, 
GALAXiD.iE are entirely confined to the Antarctic fresh waters, 
and only contain the genus galaxias, the soi*ts of which are 
numerous and are here known under the name of Yarra tnmt ; 
they are of small size, but used for food. 
In the family of Soombresoctd.e I liave only observed the 
single Hemiramfims Melanochir, which is the garfish ot the 
