§i^m PROCEEDINGS loDiil ,^ofieti] of firtona. O' vol.. XXIII. (New Series). PARTS I. AND TI. Ediled iindet the Aiii/w*ily of the Council. ISSUED MARCH, igii. (Ci')itiiiiiiii^ I'd/ien, read before the Saciety diiriiif; igioi rilK AUTIIURH OK TIIK SKVKRAli rAl'KRS AllK SBVKIIALI.V RKHP^1^8I K),K COK IHK SOllNDNKSH OK TIIK OPINIONS GIVKN AND KOR TIIK ACCIIRACV OK TIIK STATKMKNTS MAUK TllKRKlN. MKLMOUKNE: FORD & SON, I'RINTKUS, DRUMMONH STUEET, CARLTON. 1911. CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXIII. Art I. — On the Growth and Habits of Biporae. By C. M. Maplestone. (Plate I.) ... ... ... l II. — On some Pselaphidae of the Howitt Collection. By Arthur M. Lea ... ... ... ... g III. — A Species of Ai-gas, apparently new to Science. By Geokgina Sweet, D.Sc. (Plate II.) ... ... 15 IV. — Notes on a Protozoon Parasite found in the Mucous Membrane of the Abomasum of a Sheep. By J. A. GiLRUTH, D.V.Sc, &c. (Plate III.) ... ... 19 V. — New or Little-Known Victorian Fossils in the National Museiini; Pt. XI. — On an Impression of a Bird's Feather in the Tertiary Ironstone of Eedruth, Vic- toria. By F. Chapman, A. L.S. (Plates IV., V.) ... 21 VI. — Association of Alga and Fungus in Salmon Disease. By A. D. Hardy, F.L.S. ... ... ... ... 27 VII. — A Study of the Guttural Pouches of Horse. By Walter Stapley, M.D., M.E.C.V.S. ... ... 3.3 VIII. — Note on a Haemogregarine in the Blood of Varanus vaiius. By J. A. Gilrdth, D.V.Sc, M.E.C.V.S., F.E.S.E. (Plate VI.) ... ... ... ... 36 IX. — On a New Species of Cellepora from the South Austral- ian Const. By C. M. Maplestone. (Plates VII. -IX.) 3*J X. — Observations on Parmularia obliqua and a Fossil Species. By C. M. Maplestone. (Plate X.) ... 42 XI. — Notes on the Geology of the Country about Auglesea. By T. S. Hall, M.A., D.Sc. (Plate XI.) ... ... 44 XII. — Contributions to the Flora of Australia, No. 14. By A. J. Ewart, D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S., Bertha Eees, and Bertha Wood, B.Sc (Plates XII., XIII.) ... 65 XIII. — Modern Improvements in Eook Section Cutting Appa- ratus. By H. J. Grayson. (Plates XIV.-XVII.) ... 65 XIV. — On some New Species of Victorian Marine Mollusca. By J. H. Gatliff and C. J. Gabriel. (Plates XVIII.-XIX.) ... ... ... ... ... H2 Art. XV. — Additions to the Catalogue of the Marine Shells of Victoria. By J. H. Gatliff and C. J. Gabrikl ... 87 XVI. — Note on a Supposed Nematode Parasitic in the Circular Muscle of an Earthworm (Diporochaeta grandis). By GwTNNETH Buchanan, M.Sc. (Plates XX.- XXI.) ... ... ... ... ... 99 XVII.— Note on the Existence of Spirochaetosis affecting Fowls in Victoria. By J. A. Gilruth, D.V.Sc, M.E.C.V.S., F.R.S.E. ... ... ... ... 102 XVIII. — Spirochaeta in Lesions affecting the Pig. By J. A. Gilruth, D.V.Sc, M.R.C.V.S., F.R.S.E. ... ... 105 XIX. — Contributions to the Flora of Australia, No. 15. By A. J. EwART D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S., Jean White, D.Sc, and Bertha Rees. (Plates XXII.-XXIV.) 110 XX. — Australian and Tasmanian Coleoptera Inhabiting or Resorting to the Nests of Ants, Bees and Termites. By Arthur M. Lea. (Plates XXV.-XXVII.) ... 116 XXI. — Notes on Blood Parasites. By J. A. Gilruth, D.V.Sc, M.R.C.V.S., F.R.S.E., Georgina Sweet, D.Sc, and S. DoDD, D.V.Sc, F.R.C.V.S. (Plates XXVIII.- XXX.) ... ... ... ... ... 231 XXII. — Some New and Unrecorded Endoparasites from Austral- ian Chickens. By Georgina Sweet, D.Sc. (Plates XXXI.-XXXV.) ... 242 XXIII. — On the systematic position of the species of Squalo- don and Zeuglodon described from Australia and New Zealand. By T. S. Hall, M.A. (Plate XXXVI.) ... ... ... .. ... 258 XXIV. — Further Descriptions of the Tertiary Polyzoa of Vic- toria—Part XI. By C. M. Maplestone. (Plates XXXVII.-XLVIII.) ... ... ... 266 XXV. — Contributions to the Flora of Australia, No. 16. By Alfred J. Ewart, D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S.; Jean White, D.Sc; and Bertha Wood. (Plates XLIX.-LVII.) ... ... ... ... 285 XXVI. — New or Little-Known Victorian Fossils in the National Museum — Part XII.: On a Trilobite Fauna of Upiier Cambrian Age (Olenus Series) in N. E. Gippsland, Victoria. By Frederick Chapman, A.L.S., &c. (Plates LVIII.-LXI.) ... 305 XXVII.— The Magnetic Properties of Stalloy. By H. R. Hamlky, M.A., and A. L. Rossiter, B.Sc (Plates LXII.-LXV.) ... ... ... 325 Art. XXVIIT. — Morphology of the Vermiform Appendix. By Walter Stapley, M.D., D.Y.Sc , M.R.C.V.S., and J. C. Lewis, B.V.Sc. (Plates LXVI.- LXXYa.) ... ... .. ... ... 312 XXIX. — Some Observations on tlie Comparative Anatomy of the FibiUa. By William Mackenzie, M.D., F.R.S. (Edin.). (Plates LXXVI.-LXXYIII )... 358 XXX. — The Biochemical Significance of Phosphorus. By Hilda Kincaid, M.Sc. ... ... ... 368 XXXI. — Longevity of Seeds and Structxire and Xatiue of Seed Coat. By Bebtha Rees. (Plates LXXIX.- LXXXI.) ... ... ... ... ... 393 XXXII. - On some supposed Pj'^ritzed Sponges from Queens- land. By Frederick Chapman, .V.L.8. (Plate LXXXII.) ... ... ... ... 415 XXXIII. — A Revision of the Species of Limopsis in the Tertiary Beds of Southern Australia. By Frederick Chapman, A.L.S., &c. (Plates LXXXIII.-LXXXV.) ... ... ... MU XXXIV. — The Aborigines of I^ake Boga, Victoria. By A. C. Stone ... ... ... ... ... 433 XXXV. — A Contribution to the Physiography of the Yarra River and Dandenong Creek Basins, Victoria. By J. T. JuTsoN (Plates LXXXVl.-XC.) ... 499 XXX YI. — The Structure and General Geology of the Warrau- dyte Goldfield and Adjacent Country. By J. T. JuTSON. (Plates XCI.-XCIII.) ... ... 516 XXXVII. — Flotation of Minerals. By Kenneth A. JSIickle 555 XXXVIII. — Protozoa Parasitic in the Large Intestine of Aus- tralian Frogs— Part I. By Janet W. Raff, B.Sc. 586 [Proc. Rot. Soc. Victoria, 23 (N.S.), Pt. I., 1910.] 03 A> Art. I.— On the Groivth and Habits of Bipofsk^^ jp ?A' By C. M. MAPLESTONE. (With Plate I., Figs. 1 and 2). [Kead 10th March, 1910.] In the collection of Polyzoa, dredged by H.M.C.S. "Miner" from a depth of 80 fathoms, about 22 miles outside Sydney Heads, which was submitted to me by Professor Haswell for examination and report, the most interesting were some coni- cal forms of BijMjrae, of which three were new species, and a scrutiny of them shewed that they, in common with previously known species, differed considerably from other polyzoa in many points, especially in the arrangement of the individual zooecia composing a zoarium, their method of gro^vth and the attitude of the zoaria when living. Mv observations, however, point to very different conclusions from those expressed in a paper by Mr. Whitelegge in the Pr.L.S. N. S. Wales, 1887, page 387, et seq. ; 'in which he established the genus Blpora, and included in it the following species : — Lunulites philippinensis, Busk; L. ninreUata, Busk; L. angu- lopora, Ten. Woods; L. iiicisa, Hincks ; Cupuhirid rrassa, Ten. Woods; ConeschareJJina depresnd, Haswell: '". roiiira. Has- well ; Eschara uitihoiiafa. Haswell : and F/i/hr/Iij/iora clegans, D'Orbigny ; they being, he says, " a most distinct group having little in common with those with which they have been asso- ciated except habit and form." This last statement I must question, because as to their " habit " it will be seen from what follows that it is far from being known or understood, and as to their " form," the forms not only of the zoaria but also of the zooecia are so very different that I do not think they can possibly be assigned to any one genus, and the inclusion of them under the name of Bipura only adds to the perplexity that already exists in respect to them ; I am not at present in a position to discuss this portion of the subject with certi- tude, but on a future occasion I may be able to offer a more 2 C. M. Maplestone: sutisfiu-toiy L'liissiHc;itii)n of the species abovenuuied, and the new ones described in \\\\ re])oit upon the " Miner " jjolyzoa.l After reniarkinti' lliat the structural features jn-esented by the various species of this yroup are of such an exceptional character that it will be necessary to remove them altogether from the family Se]e)iarii(](ie, in which most of them have been placed, and that they appear to possess characters which are either unknown or rarely found in other species of Polyzoa, Mr. Whitelegge states that the " method of growth (not habit or form) or increase in size of the zoarium by the addition of new zooecia is intercalary, taking place on the surface between the cells already formed and not at the outer margin, as in most other polyzoa." This view, I think, is incorrect. Intercalary zooecia could not cause any inrreafie in size of the zoarium. There is a cer- tain organic connection between all |iarts of a zoarium, Init it is not such as would c^iuse the zoarium to swell in size if new zooecia were intercalated among the others. From my examina- tion of the various sj^ecies I find increase in size is made on the margin of the flat, or nearly flat, species ; consequently, as in all other disk-like forms, the zoaria grow from the centre to the circumference. Tire conical Biporae grow from the apex to the l)ase ; I do not say downwards because I believe that, when living, the i)ase is uppermost. A proof of the correctness of this opinion is shown in those zoaria which have the coral Dunoci/athus ])ar(i- ■siticns growing on, or out of, their bases ; for it is impossible that they could rest upon them, because the delicate tentacles of the coral would be crushed, and the coral could not live under such circumstances. Among the Jh'jxjrac dredged by H.M.C.S. "Miner" were a few with this coral growing on them, and through the kindness of Professor Spencer I have received some Hpecimens of Bi povdc, dredged some 104 fathoms off the coast of South Australia l)y Dr. Verco. of Adelaide, in which the corah is imbedded in the zoaria, and also some sections of the same. The sections show the base of the coral to be sometimes far down in the zoaria, and that the zooecia formed subsequent to the commencement of the growth of the coral have grown up 1 Records of the Australian .Museuni, S.vdiiey, \<)1. vii., Xo. 4, li)(l!), p. 2(>7, et seq. Growth, and Habits of Bijiorae. 3 round the outside of it. Fi<;. 1 is a sketch made under the cainei-a lucida of a section ; it, however, is somewhat imperfect owintr to the veiy brittle nature of the coral, but it will be seen that the coral started to grow upon the Biporu at a very early stage of the hitter's existence. I have indicated the junc- tion of the coral and the Bipord by a thick line. A charac- teristic pointing to the same conclusion is that in these conical forms the zooecia are, in almost every instance, in perfectly regular rows from the apex to the base, they very gradually in-' crease in size from the apex to the base, and the zoaria i^reserve their shape throughout their growth — i.e., both the young and the old zoaria have the same angle at the apex. As stated above, I consider the conical forms in their living state have the base uppermost. This would seem to be in- credible, but in a postscript to his paper Mr. Whitelegge men- tions he had had the good fortune to have had a living speci-' men of Bipora jilnlijjpinensis (a nearly flat form living in Port Jackson) under observation for three days ; and that from it there extended fine filaments, half an inch long, attached in some cases to tubes of Annelids and fragments of shell. He Bays the filaments appeared to grow out of an avicularium. This affords a clue to the manner in which the conical forms manage to live with their bases upwards. All of them have on the apex small avicularia and pores, and I consider that from these pores filaments similar to those recorded on Bipora philij)pinensin grow, and probably attach themselves to frag- ments of shells, etc., on the surface of the ocean l)cd. and so anchor themselves. Professor Harmer, in his Presidential ad- dress to section 1). of the British Association for the Advance- ment of Science at Dublin, in 1!)(»S, stated he had some evidence that Selenariidae (in which the Biporae were originally placed) juay be attached to ooze by means of veiy delicate, flexible rooting l»r(jcesses, and he has suggested to me that probably these conical forms are attached by a ligament to some foreign substancein the same way as Parmularia ohliqua, McG., is, and that they hang downwards in the watci-. This is jiossibly the case, but the ligaments may be strong enough to iiermit the zoaria being sustained in an upright position, or in any position between the vertical and horizontal. 4 C. M. Maplestone: Mr. Whitelegge further states that most of the published figures of the zooecia are upside down. This is accounted for by the extraordinary circumstance that the zooecia are really upside down ; indeed, he admits as much Avhen he says " the direction of the zooecia is also apparently reversed," and he eays that the free distal edge of the operculum is directed to- Avards the apex of a conical form. The free edge of the oper- culum is directed towards the apex, but it is not the distal edge. The fact is that the operculum is hinged at the distal edge, and not at the proxinuvl one ; so that in these conical forms not only are the zooecia upside down, but the operculum is also uj)side down and in the specimens, in which the operculum is not preserved (both fossil and recent) the sinus is. always in the distal margin of thyrostome and not the proximal one, as in other polyzoa of the family tSchizojJnrellidae (in which Dr. MacGillivray placed the Biporae). To make clear what I mean by saying the zooecia are upside down, take the case of the other cheilostomes ; the zooecia are formed one beyond, or above another, and the later formed ones rest upon, or are joined to the earlier formed ones with the proximal end resting upon or joined to the distal end of the preceding zooecium, and the thyrostome is situated in the distal portion of the zooecium with the operculum hinged at the proximal nuirgin opening downwards. Now in the conical Biporae the zooecia folloAv one another in a somewhat similar manner, but the zooecia are in a reversed position : that is, what is the proximal, or lower wall in the ordinary cheilostomes, is in them the distal or uppermost, the thyrostome is in the proximal portion of the zooecium, and the operculum is hinged at the distal margin of the thyrostome opening upwards. The cause of this peculiar reversal of the ordinary arrangement is unknown, but Professor Harmer points out to me that it would seem to show " that the polypide bud while in a young condition might get twisted round 180 degrees in the zooecium." This probably is the case, but, before twisting round, the polypide bud must have in its growth extended itself to the end of the zooecium furthest from the older zooecia before turning round and developing into a mature form. Absolute proof of this cannot be deter- mined until some spirit preserved specimens of living forms be Groirfh and Habits of Biporae. 5 obtained, and that is a niatter of some difficulty, because these conical forms are only found at depths of from 80 to 250 fathoms, and are so small that when dredged up that they might not be discovered in time to properly preserve them. Another structure in these Jii/xirae which has puzzled me, and also Professor Harmer, is the " semi-lunar slit " which Mr. Whitelegge considers to be the commencement of a new zooe- cium. He gives a very circumstantial account of it and its development into zooecia, but I have not been able to discover any instances of such development in any of the specimens I have examined. This " slit " he reports as being seen in all stages of its development in Bipora jjhilipjnnensis, but in a slide which he sent me some years ago containing some 40 specimens of that species I could only find it on two small highly calcified fragments ; though subsequently on a slide, lent me by the Curator of the Australian Museum since I examined the " Miner " polyzoa, there were several specimens of this species, in most of which the semi-lunar slit was present in what I take to be the perfect or complete state. (See Fig. 2.) I could not find in any of them an imperfect or younger form. These slits surround a nearly circular flap, the base of which is connected with the surface of the zoarium by a raised nodular process, and I consider it is improbable that such as are present in the specimens c(5uld eventually be continued, so as to com- plete the circle, through this thickened process, and cause the flap to fall off, and even if they did, the opening would not cor- respond in either size or shape with the ordinary peristomial orifice ; and if, as Mr. Whitelegge states, there were underneath this external orifice an oral opening, it would indicate the for- mation of a zooecium considerably below the surface of the zoarium, in no way contributing to its " growth in size." Now if the theory that the .semi-lunar slit is always the com- mencement of new zooecium be correct, it should be found in all the various species of Biporae. Mr. Whitelegge records it in B. anyulojjora and in B. elegans (in addition to B. philippintmis already alluded to), and states that it is nut seen in any specimen of B. timbonata, in the Australian Museum, which is the species in respect of which he states Professor Has- well's description of the "different forms of the mouth "' showed 6 C. M. Majplestone : the various stages of it ; and also it is the species in which he says he saw the oral aperture underneath the peristome, which caused him to determine the name of the genus, for the reason that he considered the slit itself when completed forms the perlsto/iiial oritice, and as it is formed before the oral aperture, he assumed it to be therefore the primary orifice and the oral aperture the secondary one ; and the occurrence of the two orifices caused him to name tl).e genus Bi-pora. It is important to note that he makes no mention of the occurrence of the slit in his descriptions of the other species dealt with in his paper. With regard to these " slits " I must confess that my reasoning depends a great deal upon what I may call negative evidence. It is to be regretted that Mr. Whitelegge did not illustrate his paper with figures, showing the various stages of development of which he speaks ; so that it is extremely difficult to deal satisfactorily with the subject, and these " slits '" must at pre- sent remain an unsolved enigma. Another point of interest in connection with the Bipni-ae is that up to the time of the publication of Mr. Whitelegge's paper there was no record of any ooecia having been seen upon any species of this genus. In his description of B. pliilippin^ ensis he states that they are present in that species, and his description of them is, " external, globose, smooth, with 'a faint fimbriated stigma in front " ; but he gives no figure. Many, if not all, of the specimens of this species which are upon the slide lent to me by the Curator of the Australian Museum, had ooecia upon them, and as I had not seen them before, I made a drawing of a portion ^f one zoarium, which is here reproduced (Fig. 2) as they have never before been figured. The ooecia agree fairly with the description, but I could not see upon them the " fimbriated stigma," though there was on some of them an irregular line apparently marking the limit of a layer of tissue or thickening in the walls of the ooecia. The ooecia are on the upper surface of the zoaria, which is slightly convex, and nciir the periphery. In order to obtain a view of the ooecial openings which are situated at the base of the ooecia, it was necessary to tilt the slide so as to expose the edge of the zoarium to view. Scattered among the zooecia are some of the " semi-lunar slits " spoken of above. I have drawn a ProL-. K.S. Vii'toria, lOlO. Plat.- I. F.ol 0^- t ^.^ '^ ^ \ ^^'M ■ > Fto 2 Gfoirf/i (I ml Habits of Biporae. 7 Kiiiall ]»(!rticin of the surface inorL' liiulily iiiatrnitied (Fi iticorreet. Pselaphidae of ili<' Iloiv'iit Collcvtioii. < 1 IS loiiLrer than ninth and tenth coiiiliini'd. I'alpi with first (ap- parent) joint louif, l)asal halt' lliiu, apical half sti'ongly inflated and siibelliptic in outline : second abont as lone: as inflated jiart of first and somewhat tliinner, third slitihtly longer iind Boniewhat thinner than second. /'t-ofliura r aFjout as lonjn' as greatest width, which is abont apical fourth, sides strongly narrowed to apex, and moderately to base, which is slightly wider than apex ; with a feeble median subbasal impression ; punctures as on head but rather sparser. Elytra distinctly wider than long, shoulders strongly rounded, sides rounded and increasing in width almost to a])ex ; eath at b9.se with two small foveiform impressions, one at base of a strong subsutural stria, the other marking the base of a short impressioii, which is much too short to be regarded as a stria ; punctures rather sparser than on prothorax. Upper surface of abdoni/ii with small punctures; lower surface without fovea. M etdfittrinnn widely and shallowly impressed in middle. /'C//-^' rather long and thin ; front trochanters each with a large truncated tooth ; front femora each with a rather small but distinct subbasal tooth ; front tibiae moderately curved. Length, 2 (vix) mm. Hah. — Victoria. Tliis species was omitted from Raffray's recent generic monograph of the family, prol)ably on account of their being a T//rJnis hoii'iffi. KiiiL;- (now referred to I'l/rtt />Jiiis). It belongs- to T i/roiiiorpJws, and in general sculpture is close to cribratiis, but differs in being smaller and somewhat differently sculptured. In general appearance it is remarkably close to Rytu^ si/buhitu.s\, \n\X has very different ])alpi. The second segment of abdomen on its lower surface, a|)]iears to have a very feeble ridge across middle of apex, l)ut this is invisible from most directions. Bri/aris) (iter. King (now Eu pnx-x (ifni. King). King's label "" JJryaxis ater. K.L.K.," and a label '" Dandenong "' in another hand. Type ?. IJlack. appendages piceous brown, but antennae somewhat darker than legs. Almost ghiiirctus. Head smooth and without impressions. Antennae ratlier short, first joint fairly stout, second as stout as first, Init much 12 Arthur M. Lea : shorter, third to ninth small, tenth short but strongly trans- verse, eleventh large and ovate. Prothorax lightly transverse, sides rather strongly rounded near apex, and gently decreasing in width to base ; disc without impressions. Elytra slightly longer than wide, sides sub-parallel, shoulders rounded ; finely striate close to suture, but not elsewhere. Apex of metasternum gently impressed in middle. Ahdomen non-foveate. Legs non- dentate. Length, 1 (vix) mm. Hah. — Victoria (Dandenong Ranges). The species also occurrs in Tasmania, as I have the sexes from the Huon Eiver, the female of which agrees well with the type. The male differs in having the metasternum strongly and widely impressed ; second segment of abdomen very feebly impressed (scarcely more than flattened) in middle, and apical segment lightly cui*ved at tip, so that from some directions it appears to have a small apical tubercle. On the type the two apical joints of antennae form the club, the tenth being wide but short ; the ninth is also transverse, but could scarcely be regarded as part of the club. The male has very similar an- tennae except that the two apical joints are somewhat larger. Bythinus niger, King (now Eujiines nigi-a, King). King's label, " Bythinus niger, R.L.K." Type ? . Castaneous brown, legs paler, antennae darker. Almost glabrous. Head smooth. Antennae moderately long, first joint rather stout, second as stout as but shorter than first, third to eighth small, ninth distinctly wider than preceding joints, tenth larger and more transverse, eleventh ovate. Prothorax moderately transverse, sides widest at apical two-fifths, thence subarcuate to base, without discal impressit>ns. Elytra very little longer than wide, shoulders rounded, sides gently rounded and in- creasing in width to near apex, finely striate near suture, but "not elsewhere. Metasternum feebly impressed along middle. Abdomen non-foveate. Legs non-dentate. Length. 1 mm. Hab. — Victoria. •Quite an ordinaiy looking Eupines. The specimen rede- ficribed is certainly the type as King says " In Dr. Hewitt's coll." Pselaphidae of the Howitt Collection. IJJ All that he says of colour is " niger," possibly the colour has^ pomewhat faded (it is between 40 and 50 years since it was- taken), but King appeared to regard almost all fairly dark browns as black. Tlie club might fairly be regarded as three jointed, although the ninth joint is rather small ; the eleventh is rather large, but not much wider than tenth. On each side of the head there are two very feeble impressions, invisible from most directions, one in front and one just above the eye. There are before me two females and one male from Tas- mania (Huon River) fhat appear to belong to this species., Tliey differ in being considerably darker (a common occurrence with Tasmanian insects of all orders), with the impressions on the head still very faint, but rather more noticeable. The male differs from the female in having the club larger, with the ninth and tenth joints more transverse. Metasternum widely impressed and subcarinated on each side of middle. From some- directions its first ventral segment appears to have a large semi- circular excavation at apex, bounded on each side by a small distinct tubercle ; from other directions both tubercles and excavation are indistinct. The apical segment has a small circular impression. Euplectus ercisns. King (now Eu jilertnps errisiis. King). King's label "" Euplectus excisus. King," and a label " Dande- nong " in another hand. J' ? Reddish-testaceous, legs and palpi paler. Clothed with short pale pubescence ; sides with a few scattered hairs. Head with a deep fovea on each side, the two opening out and conjoined iu front, so as to give the appearance of a wide semicircular impression, middle of base with a short longitu- dinal impression. Antennae just passing middle coxae ; first joint as long as second and third combined, second globular, slightly longer than third, fourth to eighth short and transverse, ninth scarcely longer but distinctly wider than eighth, tenth slightly longer and distinctly wider than ninth, eleventh ovate, base truncate, almost as long as three preceding combined. Prothorax distinctly transverse, sides strongly rounded from apex to middle, then strongly and suddenly constricted, and 14 Arthur M. Lat : Pselaphidae. then a])pearing as a sul)triangnilar extension on each side of base ; with three strong, longitudinal impressions, and a deep transverse sub-basal one, the latter causing the lateral constric- tions ; with small scatteied punctures. Elytra slightly longer than wide, shoulders rounded, sides gently rounded, each Avith two striae commencing in basal foveae, the subsutural one distinct throughout, the discal one distinct at base, traceable at apex, but obsolete in middle; punctures much as on prothorax. Meta-^ternion feebly impressed along middle. Ahdomeu non- foveate. J^egs moderately long ; trochanters each with a feeble subtriangular node or tooth ; femora edentate. Length, 1 4-5ths mm. Hah. — Victoria : Dandenong. The specimen redescribed is a co-type, if not the actual type itself, as King says, " Tlie Dandenong Ranges Dr. Howitt." In general appearance it is fairly close to Eujilextops gihhosuK, but the prothoracic sculpture, although deep, is less profound, an- tennae somewhat shorter and stouter, with the joints of the clulj differently proportioned. Its clothing is also more notice- able. The abdomen has a short process projecting backwards from its tip, liut I cannot make out whether it is an ovipositor or the sheath of a penis, but it is probably the latter, as the trochanters appear (^from some directions) to be obtusely den- tate ; the third ventral segment also has a very feeble sub- triangular impression at middle of apex, but which is invisible from most directions. Tlie disc of each elytron is slightly paler than its other parts, but the shades of colour are not sharply defined. [Proc. Koy. Soc. Victoria, 23 (N.S.), Pt. I., 1910.] A in. 111. -^l Sj)/'ci('i< of A'lya.s, apparently nciv to Science. By GEORGINA SWEET, D..Sc. (Melb.) (With Plate II.) [Eoad lOth March, 1910.] Four specimens of " Fowl-tick " handed to me by Professor Gilruth from a spirochaete-infected fowl apjjear at first sight to be the hexapod larvae of J/v/c/.v iinnidfus, Koch, 1844, as hpured by Salmon and Stiles (1901, jip. 405-7), which is now regarded by Nuttall and others in their recent " Monograph of the Ixo- doidea " (1908, p. 8) as synonymous with Argas persicus^ (Oken), 1818. But on closer examination they are found to differ in several particulars from that form, especially in size, in which they more closely resemble Argds re-'ijiertilioiiis (Latreille), 1796, and in the more ventral position of the capitulum, in which they are unlike the larvae either of Aryas /iersicus or of Aryas vexpertilioiils, though very similar to the nymph of A. vespertilionis, figured and described by Nuttall (1908, fig. 50 and p. 37). The proportionate size does not appear to be related in this case to the age of the larva, since the larva of Ari-oc. U.S. Vk'loiia. Iltl". I'lair 111. ■<-^=^':^4J'«^ « "V/-^ %• .»■■'*• ^ r^T >#*^, V ^ ^ 1 .r f *'♦] '^«» i' . [Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, 23 (N.S.). P'''- I- I^'IO-] Akt. V. — New or Little-Known Victorian Fossils iv the National Museum. Part XI. — On an Impression of a Bird's Feather in the Tertiary Ironstone of Redruth, Victoria. By FREDK. chapman, A.L.S., «fec. (Palaeontologist to the National Museum). (With Plates IV. and V.) [Read 26th May, 1910.1 Introductory. ^"■08811 remains of birds, compared with those of other animals, are of rare occurrence. The reason for this is not far to seek. The bodies of birds, on account of their lightness of build, readily float, and are therefore more liable to disintegrate and decay before they can arrive at conditions tending to preser- vation by being sealed up in mud or silt. Moreover, their bones, with more or less easily attacked pneumatic structure, are placed at considerable odds compared with the more solid bones of mammals, or even of most reptiles. From such floating or decaying bodies the feathers soon tend to become detached ; and these, also, have small chance of being preserved, unless caught amidst water-logged masses of leaves. Hence it is that most of the records of fossil feathers are from lacustrine, estua- rine or shallow-marine accunmlations, where they are generally associated with plant- and insect-remains. The rocks in which feathers have been found are for the most part of fine-grained texture, and comprise iron-stone, originally ferruginous mud or ooze, and gypseous and carbonaceous clays in the lacustrine series ; and, more rarely, the inpalpable marly deposits of marine origin found in liavaria (Solenhofen- or Lithographic- Stone). 22 Frederick Chapman : Previously Recorded Occurpences of Birds' Feathers. So far, the following appear to be the only instances of feathers having been found in strata older than sub-recent. Upper Oolite. — Solenhofen, Bavaria (Archaeopteryx). Eocene. — Green River Shales, Wyoming, U.S.A.1 Eocene. — ^Gypseous marls of Aix, Provence (Strix, Alcedo, Upupa, Sittn and Turdus, associated Avith plants, insects and fishesi).2 Upper- Eocene. — Mont Bolca, near Verona, Italy (Ornitho- lithes fail jasi and 0. tenuipennis).^ Upper Eocene. — Bournemouth. A small feather recorded from the plant-beds by J. Starkie Gardner.^ (?) Eocene. — Gyj^seous beds of Senegal.^ Lower OJigocene. — Freshwater Limestone of Limagne, Auvergne.6 Lower Oligocene. — Konigsberg, Germany ; in amber.' Upper Oligocene. — Lignite beds of Rott, near Bonn, Ger- many.** Upper Oligocene. — Two portions of feathers found by the Rev. P. B. Brodie in the Bembridge Limestone, Gurnet Bay, Cowes, L of Wight." Miocene. — ^Freshwater Limestone of Croatia, Austria."' Miocene. — Hard calcareous tufa of Hahnenbergs, Bernstein, Germany." Miocene. — Lacustrine marls of Florissant, South Park, Colorado, U.S.A. ^- Upper Miocene. — Oeningen, Bavaria. ^'^ 1 Zittel-Eastman. Text-Book of Palaeontologv, 1002, p. 256. •2 Bayaii. Bull. Soc. Geol. France, s^r. 3, vol. i., 1873, p. 386. 3 Faujas. Ann. du Museum, 1804, vol. iii., pi. i. figs. 1-3; Oraboni, Atti lift. A'eneto di Scienze, lettere 1885, ser. vi. vol. iii. 4 C.eol. .May., dec. iii., vol. ii., 1885. p. 384. 5 See Zittel. Traite de Palcontologie (French ed.), vol. iii., 1893, p. 79!>. 6 Zittel. Loc. supra cit. 7 Zittel. Loc. supra cit. S Zittel. Loc. supra cit. 9 Geol. Mag., 1885, loc. supra cit. 10 Zittel. Loc. supra cit. 11 Zittel. Loc. supra cit. 12 Zittel. Loc. supra cit. ; see also Bather (Proc. (ieol. Assoc, vol. .\xi., pt. 3, 19U9, p. 159), for general conditions of deposit. 13 Scheuchzer. Physica Sacra, 1731-1735, pi. LIIL, fig. 22. Victorian Fossils, Part XL 23 Australian Bird Remains. Bones of a struthious l)ird> Dro/nornis austraUs, Owen,^ have been recorded from the Pleistocene of Peak Downs and the Paroo River, Queenshmd ;'" Dro/nornis sp. from the Mount Gambier Caves, South Australia, and Phillip Co., New South Wales f and Dromaeus putricins. DeVis, from King's Creek, Darlint; Downs.* Numerous other remains, also from Pleisto- cene deposits, are recoi'ded by the last-named author from the River Condaujine, near Chinchilla, Queensland ; chiefly refer- able to the Anseres and tlie Hallidae. Another extinct bird, Genyornis, allied to the Eums, has been described from the Pleistocene of Lake Callabonna, South Australia, by Messrs. Stirlinfr and Zietz."' And lastly, Prof. Spencer has recently de- scribed an extinct species of Emu {Droniaeus minor), from sub-recent deposits in King Island, Bass Strait.'' Nothing older than the Pleistocene, however, has been hitherto found in Aus- tralian rocks, so that the present occurrence of bird remains has a special interest. Description. In the specimens now described, the perfect impressions of the two sides of a feather have been preserved in an ironstone deposit of lacustrine origin below the Wannon Falls, at Red- ruth, Western Victoria. The two opposite halves of the iron- stone block containing the impressions, accompanied by an- other, bearing numerous leaf-impressions, were forwarded to the National Museum by the Mines Department in 189.3. The feather is moderately long and curved ; having a strong quill or rhachis. The impression shows that this rhachis was 1 Proe. Zool. Soc. Loud., 1872, p. ^$.-1. Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1873, vol. viii., pt. 4. pp. 381-384, pi. Ixii. ; pi. Ixiii., fi^s. 1, 2. 2 K. Etheridge, jiir. Rec. Geol. Siirv. N.S. Wales, vol. i., pt. 2, 1889, p. 126. ?. Owen. Proc. Zool. Soc. Loud., 1877, pt. i., p. 9.5. R. Etheridge, jnr., Cat. Austr. Foss., Cambridge, 1878, p. 179. 4 De Vis. Proc. Linn Soc. N.S. Wales, vol. iii., pt. 8, 1888, p. 1277. h Mem. Roy Soc. S. .4iistralia, vol. i., pt. iii., 1906. 6 Vict. Naturalist, vol. x\iii., 1906, p. I'lO. Sec also Mem. Nat. Miis. Melbourne, No. 3, 1911), 11. '.). 24 Frederick Chdpman : Hat, with a well-inarked median channel near the base. It is also evident that the medullary portion contained lar<,'e and irreo;ularly disposed air-spaces. The lamellae lie close together, forming the vane ; but occasionally cross one another, as if their cohesion had been destroyed by the damage of the web. The feather is nearly complete to the apex, and there is no appearance of an aftershaft or hyporhachis, such as is seen in the struthious birds. TTie lamellae curve upwards and out- wards from the base of the quill, and are moderately long on one side and short on the other. Length of feather, 73.5 mm. ; greatest width, 20 mm. ; width of web on one side of rhachis, 12 mm., on the other, 6.5 mm. ; average width of lamellae, .75 mm. ; thickness of quill near base, 1.25 mm. Relationships. The characters of this feather are not those of a struthious birdl, there being no after-shaft present ; and. moreover, the lamellae are not typically disconnected. In rts general hrm- ness of web, its length, slight curvature, and roundly acuminate apex, it suggests such a feather as may be nuitched amongst the primaries, especially the upper, in, for instance, the Black- billed Spoonbill (Platalea regia), or one of the Ibises. Of course, no clear identity can be established from the impres- sion of a single feather ; but the probabilities are considerable that, when the ancient lacustrine sediments of Victoria were laid down, some representatives of the long-legged wading birds of the order Herodii were living under conditions similar to those which they enjoy at the present day. Associated Remains and Probable Age of the Beds. On the same pieces of ironstone with the feather-impressions are some slender, cylindrical and pointed fragments, with tinted surfaces, which are probably portions of reed-like stems of 1 See also Hutton "On Some Moa Feathers." Trans, and Proc. N. Zealand Inst., vol. jv. (1871), 18V2, p. 172, pl. ix. Victorian Fossils, Part XI. 25 plants allied to the rushes. Several fragments of long, ovate, pointed leaves on the same slab can, without doubt, be referred to the genus Euralyptux. Their venation difi'ers from those of the fossil species described by McCoy and Ettingshauseii, in having remarkably long and sub-parallel secondary veins ; and in point of fact, very closely agree with the leaves of E. amygdalina, Labill. The areolar interspaces formed between the secondary and tertiary veins are occupied by moderately large pustular oil-cells. On two separate fragments of the same ironstone bed there are numerous leaves of a Banksia, allied to B. marginata, Cavanilles, but having a narrow, parallel-sided ligulate form of leaf. The presence of a new species of Banksia, allied to a sjjecies now found living in the same locality, is interesting, as pointing to the same generic element in the flora of that tolerably remote period. And tnis, together with the occurrence of a Eucalyptus allied to the living E. amygdalina, proves that the characteristic flora of the " open forest tyiie,"! had already become established. The evidence of marine fossils in ironstone bands above the older " gold-drifts '" is in favour of a Janjukian or Miocene age ; but whether this ironstone with terrestrial remains is a synchronous deposit can only be proved by further detailed stratigraphic work in the district whence it came. In appear- ance and general characters it closely resembles a typical iron- stone of the Bacchus Marsli series with plant-remains ; and also the Htawell ironstone deposit containing moderately shallow- water marine fossils. In concluding these notes I must express my thanks to Mr. J. W. Audas, of the National Herbarium, who kindly assisted me in the comparison of the plant-remains here mentioned. EXPLANATION OF PLATES IV. AND Y. Plate IV. Fig. 1. — Impression of a bird's feather in ironstone ; associated with leaves and stems. Redruth, Western Victoria. Nat. size. 1 See H. Deane, Rec. Oeol. Siirv. Vict., vol. i., iit. 1, 1902, p. 18. 26 F. Ghcipman : Victorian Fossils, Pf. XI. 2. — Opposite face of above ironstone specimen ; showing impressions of feather, grooved plant-stems, and leaf of Eucalyptus, of the type of E. amyijdaJina, Labill. Plate V. Fig. 3. — Feather impression more highly magnified ; showing the connected structure of the vane, x 23. 4. — Piece of ironstone from the same bed as that with the feather impression ; filled with leaf-impressions of a Banhsia allied to B. margtnata, Cavan., but probably a new species. Nat. size. Proc. E.S. Yii-toria, 1!M(). I'hite IV Impressions of Bird's Feather and Eucalyptus Leaves in Tertiary Ironstone, Victoria. Proc. K.S. Victoria, 1910. Plate V. ^.^ jCf^-^^' ■''ji v^ Jit?, i^'il v< « + Impressions of Feather and Banksia Leaves in Tertiary Ironstone, Victoria. "Proc. Kot. Soc. Victokia. 23 (N.S.), Vr. I., I'.tlo]. Aivr. VI. — Associ(ttioii of Ahja ami Fungus in SahiK^n Disease. By a. 1). HARDY, F.L.S. [Rt'iid 12th May, 1910]. In a short paper coiimiunicated to the Royal Microscopical Society, in 1907, by Dr. Hebb, I drew attention to the growth of an Alga — ]\J yxonema temte (Ag) Rabenh. — on Carassius auratus, found in a garden tish-poiid in Mell)ourne.' Jnci- dentally the occnrrence of a fungus and a number of unicellular algae was noted. This report was responded to by Kuniagasu INlinakata, w^ho described an algal growth on small fry of Hap- htchilwi /c/^y'^jes, Schley, in a shallow bog pool of the Asso Marsh, Tauabe, Japan, and the Alga, identified in England by George Massee, proved to be the same species as that recorded by me in the foregoing case, while with it were found fragments of a diatom of the genus Gomphonema and a damaged individual of Euastrum sp. Xeither Minakata nor Massee mentioned the presence of a fungus.'' I purpose giving a further illustration of what is, at least sometimes, an epipiscal alga, and, as the occurrence affected a large number (about 10 per cent.) of fish in the Studley Park ponds at Kew, Melliourne, the matter is raised to one of economic importance, and it may be desirable to describe the circumstances under which the trouble arose. • In an appendix I offer for I'ecord the names of a number of Algae, either new for Victoria or interesting in this connection. The new fish ponds in Kew were, less than a 3'ear agO;, stocked from the ponds of the Zoological and Acclimatization Society's supply at Royal Park, where the fry had been hatched from ova imported from New Zealand, under the direction of D. Le Souef. There is no reason for supposing that the ova 1 Jour. R.M.S., 1907, pp. 279-281. 2 " Fish Infested with Alga." Nature, Nov . 'iO, litos. 28 A. D. Hardy: may have been unhealthy, as the fry raised in the Zoological Gardens have not suffered from disease, though a few died, thinks Mr. Le Souef, from overcrowding. In the Studley Park ponds now under notice, brown, rainbow and Lochleven trout are being reared. These are respectively Sahno fario, S. irideus and S. leveiiettsis. The ponds comprise six excavations measuring about 14 metres long x 5 m. broad; depth of water about 1.5 m. Each receives its own supply, and has a separate outlet of water. The supply is from the Yarra Yarra River, wlience it is pumped up to a circular masonry reservoir in Studley Park. From the reservoir, which is close to the ponds, the water is conveyed by underground pipes to the pond's enclosure, thence by open channels in the ground, and in open wooden flumes. The pump which is used for filling the resei'voir with river water is near to and below the weir at Bight's Falls, and the river, above and below, is polluted mainly by drainage from the populous suburbs on the basaltic flats on the opposite side. Though the sewerage works extension has greatly reduced the evil, there is still much that is injurious entering the river by way of Reilly-street and other drains, Merri Merri Creek, Darebin Creek, etc. Conditions inimical to the welfare of young fry, which had hitherto rejoiced in the purity of the metropolitan domestic supply of water from, the Yan Yean and Maroondah systems, were obtained during the prolonged, fierce heat of the Christmas and New Year holidays, when pumping operations partly ceased, and the water in the reservoir fell to a low level. The reservoir, used for irrigating public gardens, and for hydraulic elevators, at times contained a consideiable amount of silt. In addition to the direct rays of the sun, a great amount of heat was reflected from the face of the sur- rounding stonework. The pipes from the reservoir were not deeply buried, and the liai'd ground was fairly warm during the hot weather. Thus the temperature of water in the ponds rapidly rose until a maxianurn of 77 degrees Fahr. was reached during an air temperature of about 100 degrees in the shade. The first sign of trouble was the appearance, near the surface, of rainbow fry of sluggish habit, and these became gradually Alga and Faitga.s in Saijnoii JJiseerature, there is great danger, and that the trouble has been almost removed by reducing these to normal conditions. Alga and Fungus in Salmon Disease. 31 APPENDIX. List of Algae. [* New Record for Victoria.] 1 - - From tlie Yana River at Pumping Station. 2 - - From Zoological (hardens Fish Ponds. (Water from the Yan Yean and Maroondah 8ystem.s). 3 - - From the earth gutters of the fish ponds at Kevv. 4 - - From the wooden flumes at the tish punds at Kevv. 5 - - Removed from the fish. 6 - - In some ferruginously-coloured spring water about 2 cm. deep, among grass, hearing an iridescent scum ; fish ponds, Kew. Date — From January to May, 1910, excepting 1 and .^) noted for January only. ClILOKOPIIVCKAE. 1, 3 - Oedogonium sp. 3, 4, 5 Myxonema tenue (Ag.), Rabenh. 3 - - Mougeotia sp. 3 - - Zygnema sp. 2 - - Closterium Ehrenbergii, Menegh. *'2 - - Closterium moniliferum (Bory), Ehrenb. 3 ■ Closterium Dianae, Ehrenb. 6 - - Closterium .striolatum, Ehrenb. 4 - - Closterum sp. 2, 3 - Pleurotaeniuni (ioronatum (Breb.), liabniih. 3 - - Micrasterias Mahabuleshwarensis, Hobs., forma. *3 - - Euastrum Turnerii, West. *5 - - Penium libellula (Focke), Nordst. 5 - - Netrium digitus (Ehr.), Itzigs and Roths. 5 - - Desmidium Baileyi (Ralfs), De Bary, forma. 2 - - Cosmarium Hardyi, (!.'8. West. 3 - - Cosmarium renifoi-iue, l^alfs ('/). 3 - - Cosmarium sp. 32 ^4. D. Hardy : Alga and Fungus in Salmon Disease. 2 - - Pediastruni duplex, Meyen, var. reticulatum, Lagerh. 3 - Kirchneriella lunaris (Kirch.), Mob. 3 - - Aukistrodesnius falcatus, var. acicularis (A. Br.), U. S. West. 3 - - Scenedesuius quadricauda (Turp.), Breb. *1 - - Characiuni Pringsheiiuii, A. Br. 3 - - Sphaerocystis Schroeteri, Chod. Bacillarikak. 3, ;") - Surirella robusta, Elirenb. *6 - - Euuotia pectinalis (Kiitz), Rabenh. 3 - - Cocconenia laiiceolatuui, Ehrenb. *3 - - Synedra pulcliella, Kiitz. 3 - - Navicula sp. 5 - - Gyrosigma elongatuin, W. Sm. Myxophyceae. 3 - - Oscillatoria tenuis, Ag. *3 - - Oscillatoria princeps, Vauch. 3 - - Phormidiuin tenue (Menegh.), Goni. [Proc. Koy. Soc. Victoria, 23 (N.S.). Pt. I., 1910. Aki. Vll. — A Study of the Guttural Fouches of Horse. By WALTER STAPLEY, M.D., M.R.C.V.S. (Lecturer on Veterinary Anatomy and Surgery, Melbourne University). [Read 26th May, 1910.] A knowledge of comparative anatomy is apt to induce the belief that many of the variations of structure existing in dif- ferent species of animals is due to some form of force operat- ing on animal tissues. An. excellent example of force dominat- ing shape is displayed in the thorax of the horse. The weight of the horse is largely carried on the sides of the ribs, from which results a lateral narrowing of the thorax and a driving backward toward the loin, of the lung ; consequently it becomes necessary for the horse to carry eighteen pairs of ribs, so that the thoracic content may be accommodated. Man's upright position has removed lateral, restricting forces from the sides of his chest; the lightness of lung tissue, unrestrained by such pressure, has caused the human lung to encroach on the neck. It is noteworthy that with ascent of the lung in tlie neck only twelve pairs of ribs are found, and the last or lower rib usually showing atrophic changes. Cervical ribs are occasionally found in men and in women ; they are, however, reported to be three times as common in women as in men. AVhether they exist in aboriginals I do not know. The fact that the costal breathing of cultured women is said not to occur in native races leads me to think that in all probability cervical ribs are conuiionly found associated witli atrophy of the upper limb. Sui'geons have removed these neck ribs for the relief of pain. This pain is regarded to arise from stretching of the brachial plexus and the subclavian artery ; it is not improbable that pain may occur during the develop- ment of these structures from an irritated pleura. From this irritated pleura arises the demand for a rib to protect the un- protected lung, and the pain arising from the same source 34 Walter Sf