PAPERS READ. 199 



Papers Read. 



Notes on a Collection op Fishes from the Burdekin and 



Mary Rivers, Queensland. 



By William Macleay, F.L.S., &c. 



In September of last year the Trustees of the Australian 

 Museum sent Mr. Alexander Morton to the Burdekin River for 

 the express purpose of collecting and investigating the fishes of 

 that river. The idea of making such an investigation was 

 suggested some years ago by Professor Owen, who thought that a 

 search in some of the inter-tropical rivers of Australia might lead 

 to the discovery of existing species of palaeichthyan forms. 



No such ancient fishes were found, still the collection, which I 

 have looked over and named at the request of the Trustees of the 

 Museum, is not without interest. Mr. Morton was well supplied 

 with nets of various kinds, lines, dynamite, and every appliance 

 for catching or trapping fish that could be procured, and I think 

 it will be found that he managed to secure, during his short stay 

 on the river, about all the varieties of fishes inhabiting its waters. 



Mr. Morton's operations were confined to two very distant parts 

 of the river. The first few weeks he was engaged in fishing the 

 river near its mouth, but was unable to extend his search beyond 

 the first rapids — a distance only of 15 miles from the sea — though 

 for some distance below the falls the water was quite fresh and the 

 current strong. The fishes found in this part of the river were, as 

 will be observed, of a mixed character — some undoubtedly sea fish, 

 others salt water fish, but habitually entering rivers, and a few 

 strictly fresh water species. The only other part of the river 

 visited by Mr. Morton was about 200 miles higher up, at or near 

 Charters Towers, where of course there could be nothing but fresh 

 water fishes. 



The fishes from the Mary River were all collected in the vicinity 

 of Maryborough. I make no attempt in the following notes to 

 give synonyms, and the references to each species are limited to a 

 few of the most useful and most accessible : — 



