photo by IV. SavilU-Kent., /“.Z.o.J [Mitfora~on~Sea 
AUSTRALIAN LUNG-FISH 
This fish is also knoiun as the Burnett Ri-ver Salmon 
BOOK IF. FISHES 
CHAPTER I 
LUNG-FISHES AND CHI M /ERAS 
BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. 
T hough amongst the lowest of the backboned animals, the Fishes are nevertheless 
an exceedingly interesting group, distinguished from all others by the possession of 
fins, which are divisible into two series, — an unpaired, ranged along the middle 
of the' back and abdomen, and including the tail-fin; and a paired series, representing the 
fore and hind limbs of land animals. The body is either clothed with scales or naked, 
and, being perfectly sustained by the water, needs no support from the fins, which serve as 
balancing-organs. 
In the brilliancy and beauty of their coloration fishes display a variety that cannot be 
excelled by any other animals. Furthermore, the coloration is often rendered still more 
beautiful from the fact that it can undergo rapid changes of hue. Frequently this coloration 
is of a protective character, causing the fish to harmonise with its surroundings, and so escape 
the observation of its enemies. The colours of living fishes can only, for the most part, be 
indicated in the present pages when a pattern exists by the formation of stripes or spots ; 
but the wonderful variations in the form of the body will probably prove a rev^elation to many. 
Lung-fishes 
The Lung-fishes are a peculiarly important group, inasmuch as they form a connecting- 
link between the class Fishes and the land-dwelling Amphibians — the class containing the 
Frogs and Toads and their allies. They are accorded this position mainly because, like 
Amphibians, they possess true lungs, which almost entirely replace the gills, the breathing- 
organs of other fishes. 
One of the best known of the lung-fishes is the AUSTRALIAN Barramundi, or Lung-fish of 
Queensland — the Burnett or Dawson Salmon of the settlers. It lives among the weeds at 
the bottom of muddy rivers, rising frequently to the surface to take in atmospheric air by the 
lungs, the gills alone being insufficient for breathing purposes. The flesh, which is salmon- 
coloured, is much esteemed as food. The adult fish is said to attain to a weight of 20 lbs. 
and a length of 6 feet. 
Other lung-fishes, eel-like in form, occur in the rivers of Africa and South America. The 
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