180 THE NATURALIST IN AUSTRALIA. 
America and Africa. One of these Arapaima gigas, of the rivers of Brazil, and the 
Guayanas, attains to the phenomenal dimensions of fifteen feet in length, with a weight 
of four hundred pounds, and is the largest living representative of the Teleostian 
or bony-skeletoned fish, as distinguished from the Chondrostian or Cartilaginous- 
skeletoned group, of which the Sharks and Sturgeons are familiar examples. The-true 
Australian Barramundi, Osteoglossum Leichardti, has been obtained chiefly from the 
Fitzroy, Dawson, and other inter-tropical rivers debouching on the Eastern Coast of 
Queensland ; while the second species, O. Jardinei, belongs to the river systems that 
flow into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Both species attain a length of two or three feet, 
and are most excellent eating, their flesh being even pronounced by connoisseurs to 
compare favourably with that of the European salmon. It remains yet to be discovered 
whether or not representatives of these two last-mentioned interesting genera, Ceratodus 
and Osteoglossum, have not living representatives in the few but as yet little explored 
rivers of the Northern districts of Southern and Western Australia. The typical 
illustrations of these two forms that are reproduced in Plate XXXI., figs. A and B, 
will assist towards the recognition of any near allies of these fish by those whose 
avocations may place them on a familiar footing with the indigenous fish fauna of 
these remote regions. 
Among other members of the fresh-water fish fauna of Australia that invite 
brief notice is the small family of the Galaxiide, embracing many of the so-called 
species of the Native Trout, genus Galavias, briefly referred to in Chapter I., which, 
in addition to many species distributed throughout all of the Southern and temperate 
colonies of Australia, has representatives in New Zealand and the southern districts 
of South America. All of the members of this family are of small size, not exceeding 
a few inches in length, and derive their popular name from their somewhat trout-like 
contour and spotted markings. In Prototroctes marcena, common to the rivers of Victoria 
and Tasmania, Australia possesses a fish very nearly akin, superficially, in contour and 
habits, to the English Grayling, Thymallus. It is an excellent sporting fish, and, 
possessing a corresponding cucumber-like odour, is commonly known as the “ Cucumber 
Mullet.” In this instance also it is of interest to note that its nearest generic and 
specific allies are found in the rivers of New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, and the 
extreme south of South America. 
This brief record of phenomenal Australian fresh-water fish would be very 
incomplete without some reference to the remarkably fine races of English Trout 
and Salmon trout, Salmo fario and S. trutta, which for many years past have 
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