7

H.—ls

One of the eariy fishes in spring, at which season it follows voraciously the young fry of the aua, or sea mullet. It is a fairly good fish for preserving in tins, and has been successfully prepared in this manner by Mr. Liardet, of Wellington. The kahawai appears to be a migratory fish, avoiding only that portion of the coast that is washed by the cold south-east current. Snapper. —There are few fishes better known in the northern parts of the colony than the snapper (Pagrus unicolor). The name snapper or schnapper, by which it is best known, is adopted from Australia, its Maori name, tamure, being seldom used by Europeans. It represents in these seas the braize of the European markets, and is remarkable for its singularly abrupt profile and the brilliant metallic lustre of its scales. The snapper is not frequently reported to occur south of the Kaikoura Peninsula; a few have been caught off Moeraki, but the fish which usually goes by that name in the Dunedin market is the tarakihi. The snapper frequents shallow water, and is generally caught with the net in Wellington Harbour, but the Natives may often be seen catching them with a hook and line in the surf on exposed sandy beaches when the wind is offshore. In • clear shallow bays troops of this fish may be observed rooting up shellfish that are buried in the sandy bottom, and crushing them with their powerfully-armed jaws. 51b. is the weight of an average sized snapper in Wellington market, but they are frequently obtained four times that size. It is a handsome fish for the table, and when boiled or baked, the latter being the preferable process of cooking, it may be eaten either hot or cold. Tarakihi (C ' hilodactylus macrcpterus). —This is a very common fish in the market, and comes into season in September. Two sizes are generally sold during the spring months—the smaller ones, three or four to the pound, being the best; the flesh of the larger fish, which are 31b. to 61b. weight, being considered rather tasteless. Throughout the whole year the tarakihi may be caught with the hook in ten to twenty-five fathoms water with a sandy bottom. Trumpeter. —The trumpeter (Latris hecateia), which is the Tasmanian name for this fish, and which the Natives call kohikohi, is one of the best flavoured of any of our fishes, and, though abundant, is so extremely local in its habits, remaining continually on certain patches of feedingground, that it is only rarely brought to market. It feeds on a sandy bottom in twenty-five to thirty-five fathoms water, preferring banks or shoals. It is caught with the hook, and, if the proper fishing-ground is once found, a large haul of these fish, averaging about 61b. each, is soon obtained, but they frequently reach a weight of 351b. The areas which they frequent are very limited, and require to be carefully marked. Whether fresh or smoked, the trumpeter always commands a good price, yet it is rarely seen in any market, except in Dunedin. It would be an excellent fish for tinning or for sending to the Australian or Home markets in a frozen state. Moki. —The moki {Latris ciliaris) is an abundant fish in the Wellington market, and, though occasionally seen at all seasons, is most common and in best condition during spring and early summer. It rarely takes bait, but is chiefly caught with the net. The quality of this fish is very varied and much affected by the nature of the feeding-ground, for, though usually rich and well flavoured, it is frequently, even during the proper season, insipid, and with the strong rank taste that characterizes it when out of season. It is found on all rocky points of the New Zealand coast, the usual size being from 21b. to 41b., but it sometimes reaches 191b. weight. The moki is admirably adapted for preserving, and when properly cured and smoked will keep for a much longer time than most other fish when prepared in that manner. When in good condition the flesh of the moki is very rich, and well adapted for being cooked by roasting or baking, which latter is the favourite method of preparing this fish among the Natives in the South. There appears to be a difference in the size of the head and in the tumidity of the mouth in the specimens of the moki brought to market about midsummer, making two well-marked varieties that are supposed by some to be different sexes. Like the trumpeter, it would keep well and command a fair price if frozen for export. » Barracouda. —A very common fish, well known throughout the colonies as the barracouda (Thyr sites atun), which name is no doubt borrowed from a fish of similar shape, the barracouda pike of the tropical parts of the Atlantic. This fish is a favourite with the Maoris, who call it the manga or maka. They are obtained at all seasons, but abound in the spring and autumn, and are easily caught with a short piece of red wood having a nail driven through it for a hook. This rude tackle is passed rapidly through the water alongside the canoe or boat by a short line and rod, and is eagerly grasped by the fish, which is then jerked inboard. The usual length of the barracouda is 3 feet, and its weight 51b. Its flesh is white and flaky, and by some is thought to resemble that of the cod. In the early days of the Otago settlement, when the colonists depended solely on the Maoris for the supply of fish, it was very extensively used. It dries well, and is thus preserved in large quantities by the Natives. When pickled and smoked it is excellent food, and preferable even to fresh fish. Dried barracouda, or snook as it is called, is imported into the Mauritius and Batavia as a regular article of commerce, being worth over £17 per ton. Horse-mackerel. —This is the hauture of the Natives, and the scad of the Northern Hemisphere (Trachurus trachurus). It has a very wide range, being common to the seas of Britain and New Zealand. This fish appears in Wellington Harbour about the end of November, and is one of the commonest offered for sale throughout the summer. Its form is somewhat like the true mackerel, but the line of armed plates along each side at once distinguishes it from the more valuable and rarer fish. Immense shoals of scads are occasionally driven on the beaches round the harbour, by their impetuosity when following their prey into shallow water, or from their sufferings caused by an irritating isopod crustacean that infests their gills at this season. Their usual length is about 13in., but occasionally they are of much larger size, there being probably two distinct forms included under this specific name, which in that case should only apply to the "larger kind. This fish is not mentioned as occurring in the southern provinces, but I noted a few on the West Coast at Martin Bay. Trevalli. — The arara of the Maoris, or the trevalli or cavalli of the fishermen (Caranx