9 in. long, but they have been seen 6 or 7 feet
long. This is a favourite food of the natives of King George's Sound.
COLUBER? Native name BARDICK. Dirty olive green over the whole back;
belly dirty white; scuta 130.
The natives state that the bite produces great swelling of the part for a
day or two, and goes off.
Never grows above 14 or 15 inches long. Caught October 1841.
COLUBER. Native name TORKITE or TORKYTE. Back, from the point of the tail
to the point of the nose, dark sepia brown; under the head yellow; and
towards the middle of the belly orange; scales minute; scuta 140; tongue
forked; teeth very minute; no fangs observable. Caught August 30th, 1844.
Not at all dreaded by the natives; venomous, but not deadly, the bite
merely producing a bad ulcer for a day or two.
ELAPS MELANOCEPHALUS. Native name WERR. Dirty olive green on the back,
from the neck to the tail; scuta 147, dirty reddish orange; head black
from the nose to neck; sides of the head white; tongue forked.
Doubtful if poisonous; little dreaded by the natives. Killed October
12th, 1845.
ELAPS. Native name NORN or NORNE. Whole body covered with spear shaped
scales; head shining black; the ground colours of the back rich umber,
almost black; scuta 161, of a dirty red orange; fangs two on each side of
the upper jaw near the lios, small, and bent inwards; tongue forked
This is the most fatal of the New Holland snakes; the animal bitten
seldom recovers. The Aborigines have a great dread of this reptile; they
however eat of it if they kill it themselves, but there is a superstition
amongst them about snakes, which prevents their eating them if killed by
a European.
The specimen I figured was a small one, 3 ft. 9 in. long; they are often
seen by the natives much larger. I have endeavoured to represent it as it
generally sleeps or lies in wait for its prey, small birds, frogs,
lizards, etc. It delights in swamps and marshes.
Killed October, 1844.
FAM. BOIDAE
PYTHON. Native name WAKEL or WA-A-KEL. This snake is considered by the
natives a great delicacy, and by their account resembles mutton in
flavour, being also remarkably fat. I requested them to let me taste the
specimen from which the drawing was made; but they devoured every atom
themselves, pretending they did not understand me. The WAKEL differs from
the NORN in its habits; although both ascend trees in pursuit of small
birds and the young of the opossums. The WAKEL delights in rocky, dry
places, near salt water; they are very sluggish, and easily caught by the
women, who seize them behind the head and wring their necks. They are
described to have been seen 9 or 10 feet long. My specimen, a young male,
was exactly 5 feet long. The scales of this species are firmly fixed to
the skin, in plates all over the back and belly. The colour is beautiful,
dark greenish brown, finely variegated with yellowish white spots.
It was killed by Paddy, a native constable, near Albany, October, 1841.
* * * * *
FISHES.
GOBIIDAE.
No. 58. - PATOECUS FRONTO. Rich. Ann. Nat. Hist. Oct. 1844, vol. xiv.p.
280, Ichth. Ereb. and Terr. p. 20, pl. 13, f. 1, 2.
Native name KARRACK. Colour, a rich dragon's blood, or mahogany; found by
a Danish boatman, named Byornsan, 80 miles off the east coast from King
George's Sound, December 11th, 1841. Anal rays imperfectly counted, and
there is a typographical error in the Zool. of Ereb. and Terr. The true
numbers of the rays follow: B. 6; D. 24-16; A. 11-5; C. 10; P. 8.
TRIGLIDAE.
No. 53. - SCORPOENA, or SEBASTES. - Native name, TYLYUCK, or TELUCK
(BIG-HEAD). "Rays, D. 12, 1-8; A. 3-5; P. 21; V. 1-5."
Uncommon. Inhabits rocky shores. Flesh firm and well-flavoured. Caught by
hook, 16th Aug. 1841.
No. 34. - SEBASTES? - Native name, CUMBEUK.
A common inhabitant of rocky shores. Good eating. The specimen was
speared by Munglewert, 17th May, 1841. "Rays, D. 14-17; A. 3-8; P. 14; V.
1-5."
No. 14. - APISTES. Apparently scaleless, and without free pectoral rays.
Does not correspond well with A. MARMORATUS. "Rays, D. 12," etc. Caught by
Seine, 18th March, 1841.
The fishermen dread wounds made by the species of this fish, as they
always fester.
Native name BOORA-POKEY, or POKY. SERGEANT of the settlers.
No. 36. - PLATYCEPHALUS. - Native name CUMBEL. Common Flat-head of the
settlers. Seems to differ from described species in the two dark bars of
the tail, being directly transverse, and followed by five large dark
purple round spots.
Inhabits sandy shores very commonly, all round the coast of New Holland.
A variety occurs at Maria Island, Van Diemen's Land. Caught by hook, 15th
May, 1841. Good eating.
MULLIDAE.
No. 13. - UPENEUS. - Native name, MINAME, or KGNARNUCK (the bearded); "Red
mullet" of the settlers.
PERCIDAE.
No. 46. - ENOPLOSUS ARMATUS. Cuv. et Val. 2, p. 133, pl. 20. - Native name,
KARLOCK. Speared by a native, June 1841. Inhabits rocky shores.
BERYCIDAE.
No. 2. - BERYX LINEATUS, C. and V. 3, p. 226. - Native name, CHETONG. Red
Snapper, or Tide-fisher of the sealers. Very common in the bays of rocky
shores. "Rays, D. 5-14; A. 4-13; P. 12; V. 1-7."
SPHYRAENIDAE.
No. 59. - SPHYROENA. - Native name, KORDONG. "Rays, D. 5, 1-9; A. 11; P.
13; V. 1-5."
The "Common Baracoota" is found off the whole coast of New Holland, but
the KORDONG seems to be peculiar to Western Australia. It comes into the
shallow bays in summer; and being a sluggish fish, is easily speared by
the natives, who esteem it to be excellent food.
