boulders. After a long interval, the channel of the river 
at this spot became strewn with boulders of different sizes. 
148 R. H. MATHEWS. 
At some time subsequent to this period, the aborigines 
availed themselves of this building material and erected 
those interesting structures called by the white population 
of the river ‘“‘The Native Fisheries,’’ but which are known 
to the blackfellows as ‘‘ Ngtnnhu.’’ 
Amongst other towns on the Darling River, I visited 
Brewarrina in 1901. The great drought was then at its 
worst, and the river had ceased to run, leaving the site of 
the aboriginal fisheries quite dry. I took advantage of this 
opportunity to make an accurate survey, with chain and 
compass, of the principal fish-pens still in existence. 
Most of the aboriginal population of the district have 
died out, and the few blacks and half-castes who are left 
are settled upon an Aboriginal Station, under Government 
management, about six miles up the river from Brewarrina, 
where the aged people and children are fed and clothed at 
the expense of the State. Under these circumstances, and 
the natives being naturally an indolent race, they have 
allowed the fishing-grounds of their forefathers to get con- 
siderably out of repair, and many of them have been 
damaged by floods, or knocked down by steamers and 
barges navigating the river. 
In the olden days when the natives were numerous, the 
fishing-pens were maintained in good working order, in 
anticipation of the spawning season and also of freshets in 
the river. At times when the stream was low, or the 
channel altogether dry, and the stone dykes were fully 
exposed, the men set to work and repaired such damage as 
might have been occasioned by trees and other débris 
carried down during floods. On such occasions new pens 
were sometimes added. 
