46 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND. | 
Some Further Observations on the 
Dawson River Barramundi: Sclero- 
pages leichhardtii. 
By Tuos. L. Bancrort, M.B. 
(Read before the Royal Society of Queensland, 28th May, 1923.) 
Proressor T. Harvey Johnston, on my behalf, communi- 
cated to the Society a few curtailed notes on the Barramundi 
on 29th May, 1916,1 to which this paper is supplementary. 
The embryology of an ancient type of fish, such as 
Scleropages, is most important ; so that any observations as to 
methods of obtaining material in the proper state to submit 
to embryologists are worthy of record. Perusal of these 
methods would obviate much waste of time and be of the 
greatest value to future scientific explorers. It used to be 
said that Barramundi would not mesh, but I found that was 
because nets of large mesh were not used, for with a six-inch 
mesh it is quite easy to take large fish, and even with a four- 
inch mesh fish up to four pounds in weight are readily meshed. 
In my former paper I predicted that Barramundi might 
carry its ova in the mouth, and this has since been found to 
be so. 
Not being able myself to go again to the Dawson I induced 
some young fellows who have a selection at Mostowie, the 
Squire brothers, to try to secure Barramundi with ova in the 
mouth. I supplied them with nets of various-sized mesh, one 
with a very small mesh suitable for dragging. Unfortunately 
the Dawson River, and likewise a large billabong on their 
selection in which Barramundi abound, are so full of fallen 
trees and snags that dragging a net is impossible. With set 
nets they found it quite easy to mesh the fish, but invariably, 
owing to the struggles of the fish captured in this way, any 
ova in their mouths are ejected. The Squire brothers, however, 
1 Proc. Roy. Soc. Q’land, vol. xxviii, p. 93. 
