Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia Part 22

"Rays, 9-16; A. 3-16; P. 14; V. 1-5."

Caught by the hook, off Rocky Point, on the 17th of August, 1844. Good to eat. (A spine before each nostril, probably springing from the heads of the maxillaries).

SPARIDAE.

No. 1.--PAGRUS GUTTULATUS. C. et V. 6, p. 160.--Native name KOJETUCK.

"Common Snapper" of the sealers, "Rays, D. 12-9; A. 3-8; P. 1-5."

The Snapper grows to a large size, attaining from thirty to forty pounds weight, and is very voracious. It devours crabs and sh.e.l.l fish, crus.h.i.+ng them with its strong teeth. It is common on all the rocky inlets of the coast of New Holland, extending down the eastern sh.o.r.es to Sidney.

CHAETODONTIDAE.

No. 41.--CHAETODON s.e.xFASCIUTUS. Richardson Ann. of Nat. Hist.--Native name KNELOCK.

Inhabits rocky places. Not common.

No. 40.--CHAETODON.--Native name MITCHEBULLER or METYEBULLAR. Teeth very minute.

Inhabits rocky places. Speared by Warrawar, on the 27th of May, 1841.

No. 27.2.--CHAETODON.--Native name WAMEL or WAMLE. "Rays, D. 10-20; A.

3-17."

No. 6.--PLATAX?--Native names, TEUTUEK or KARLOCK, from the shape of the fins, also MUDEUR. "Striped sweep" of the sealers, and Pomfret of the settlers. D. 10; A. 2. Teeth small. Very common on rocky sh.o.r.es. Is a gross feeder; but good to eat. Caught by a hook on the 12th of March, 1841.

No. 8--PIMELEPTERUS? MELANICHTHYS?--Native names, KGNMMUL or KARRAWAY.

The striped zebra fish of the settlers. "Rays, D. 14-12; A. 3 11; V.

1-5." Mouth, small; tail rather concave.

Inhabits rocky sh.o.r.es, is a gross feeder, bad eating, and is not common.

Caught by the hook on the 6th of April 1841.

No. 10.--PIMELEPTERUS? MELANICHTHYS? Schlegel.--Native names, KOWELANY, KARRAWAY, or MEMON. Tail a little forked. "Rays, D. 14-13; A.3-11; P. 17; V. 1-5." Eye, grey.

Inhabits rocky sh.o.r.es, and is not very common. Caught by a hook, on the 6th of April, 1841.

No. 17.--MELANICHTHYS.--Native name MEMON or MUDDIER. "Rays, D. 14-13; A.

3-11; P. 17; V. 1-5."

Eye greyish yellow; teeth in a trenchant series on the edge of the upper and lower jaw, and also on the maxillaries. Is a gross feeder, and its flesh has a strong disagreeable smell, but is much relished by the Aborigines.

Inhabits rocky sh.o.r.es, and is rare. Caught by hook, 3rd May, 1841.

No. 33. Genus unknown.--Native name, TOOBETOET or TOOBITOO-IT. Rays, D.

17-11; A. 11; P. 11; V. 4.

Is a rare inhabitant of rocky places. Speared by Mooriane, 14th of May, 1841. This seems to be a new generic form, nearly allied to HOPLEGNATHUS, Richardson; or SCARODON, Schlegel.

No. 43.--SCORPIS?--Native name, MEMON or MEEMON. "Sweep" of the sealers.

"Rays, D.; A. 1." Teeth minute. It is a gross feeder and poor eating.

Very common on rocky sh.o.r.es. Being a bold voracious fish, it is easily speared or taken with a hook. The Aborigines generally select a rock which jutts out into the sea, and sitting on their hams, beat crabs into fragments with a little stone, and throw them into the sea to attract this fish. The instant a fish comes to feed on the bait, the native, whose spear is ready, suddenly darts it, and rarely fails in bringing up the fish on its barbed point. Specimen caught by the hook, 15th of June, 1841.

No. 44.--KURTUS?--Native name, TELYUA, or TELLYA, "Rays, D. 13; A. 2-19; V.5."

Thrown up on Albany beach, 14th of August, 1841.

PLATESSIDEAE.

No. 50.--PLATESSA? vel. HIPPOGLOSSUS? CHUNDELA.--Native name, CHONDELAR, or CHUNDELA. The "Spotted sole" of the settlers. Very common in all the shallow bays in the summer time, where it may be taken by the seine. The natives detect it when its body is buried in the sand, by the glistening of its eyes, and spear it. When fis.h.i.+ng with the torch, in the night time, the natives feel for this fish with their naked feet. Specimen caught by seine, August, 1841. This fish is delicate eating.

s...o...b..RIDAE.

No. 32.--CARANX MICANS, Solander, Icon. Parkinson, Bib. Banks, No.

89.--Native name, MADAWICK, "Skip-jack" of the settlers. "Rays, D. 8-28; A. 2-23; P. 15." Very common in shallow sandy bays, and forming the staple food of the natives, who a.s.semble in fine calm days, and drive shoals of this fish into weirs that they have constructed of shrubs and branches of trees. Specimen caught by hook on the 12th of May, 1841.

No. 16.--TRACHURUS LUTESCENS. Solander (s...o...b..R) Pisees Austr. p. 38.

Richard. Ann. Nat. Hist. x. p. 14.--Native name, WARAWITE and MADIWICK. "Yellow tail" of the sealers. "Rays, D. 6; A. 2." Eye very large.

Inhabits the edges of sandy banks. Good eating. Caught by hook 5th of March, 1841.

MUGILIDAE.

No. 29. MUGIL vel. DAJAUS DIEMENSIS. Richardson, Ichth. of the Erebus and Terror, p. 37, pl. 26, f. 1.--Native name, KNAMLER or KNAMALER. "Common mullet" of the settlers. "Rays, D. 4-9; A. 1-13."

Frequents sh.o.r.es with sandy beaches, and forms a princ.i.p.al article of food to the native youths, who are continually practising throwing their spears at this fish. It is very common, and is good eating. Caught by the seine, 12th April, 1841.

No. 57.--MUGIL.--Native name, MERRONG, or MIRRONG. "The flut-nosed mullet"

of the settlers.

This is the finest fish of New Holland that I am acquainted with. In Wilson's Inlet, about forty miles west of King George's Sound, it abounds in the winter months; and the different tribes, from all parts of the coast, a.s.semble there, by invitation of the proprietors of the ground, (the MURRYMIN,) who make great feasts on the occasion. The fish attains a weight of three and a-half pounds, and a fat one yields about three quarters of a pound of oil, which the natives use for greasing their heads and persons. This fish runs up the rivers during the floods, and so becomes very fat. In summer it retires to the ocean. Caught in September, 1841.

LABRIDAE.

No. 47.--LABRUS LATICLAVIUS. Richardson, Zool. Trans. 3. p. 139.--Native name, KANUP, or PARILL, (Green-fish.)

Is a rare inhabitant of rocky sh.o.r.es. Caught by hook, 17th August, 1841.

Poor eating.

No. 20.--LABRUS?--Native name, KNELMICK, KIELMICK, or KIELNMICK.

"Rock-cod" of the sealers. "Rays, D. 22; A. 14."

Tail square. Very common on rocky coasts. Soft, indifferent eating.

Caught by the hook, 3rd May, 1841.