"Striped sweep" of the sealers, and Pomfret of the
settlers. D. 10; A. 2. Teeth small. Very common on rocky shores. 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 shores, 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 shores, 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 shores, 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 shores. 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 fishing 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.
SCOMBERIDAE.
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 assemble 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 (SCOMBER) 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 shores with sandy beaches, and forms a principal 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, assemble 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 shores. 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.
No. 9. - LABRUS? - Native name, PARIL. "Common rock-fish of the sealers.
"Rays, D. 9-11; A. 2-11, etc."
Mouth furnished with small sharp teeth. Caught by hook, 12th March, 1841.
No. 37. - LABRUS? - Native name, PARIL, KUHOUL, or BOMBURN. "Black
rock-fish" of the sealers. "Rays, D. 9-11; A. 3-10 seconds, etc."
Inhabits rocky shores, and grows to the size of fifteen or twenty pounds
weight. Poor, soft eating. Speared by Warrawar, 12th May, 1841.
No. 7. - LABRUS?
