NS 1 bn Oey, SS \o } ~w we the VICTORIAN NATURALIST Vol. 86, No. 1 January, 1969 Published by the FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB OF VICTORIA In which is incorporated the Microscopical Society of Victoria Registered in Australia for transmission by post as a periodical 45 cents FORESTS COMMISSION VICTORIA j preserving the beauty of our forests for your enjoyment. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 The Victorian Naturalist Editor: G. M. Ward Assistant Editor: P. Gahan Vol. 86, No. 1 9 January, 1969 CONTENTS Articles: Ecological Valence of Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) as a key to its distribution. By G. Ross Cochrane =e 6 A New Species of Ray of the Genus Urolophus (Elasmobranchii: Wrote: phidae) from Victoria. By Joan M. Dixon .. ut 11 Features: Readers’ Nature Notes and Queries .. ie ne ae de - ae 4 Book Review: ‘Nightwatchmen of Bush and Plain’ .. es 4 oe tf vs a 5 Field Naturalists Club of Victoria: Report of General Meeting—December .. ae ne ne Oy le 25 Diary of Coming Events ea “ ng re if =: a 27 Front Cover: Graham Pizzey photographed the beautiful Little Egret shown this month. It may be seen near swamps or the edges of lakes, and is distributed fairly generally along the eastern part of Australia. January, 1969 3 Readers’ Nature Notes and Queries These columns are available for all members, young and old, to bring before others their own observations in nature. Correspondence may be sent to the Editor, 54 St. James Road, Heidelberg. Here is the final note from Victor Jacobs describing places visited. Lysterfield Reservoir From the east road it was simple to walk on the bare lake margin from which the water had receded during the long dry spell. It was March 1967, and there were no squashy hummocks to retard our progress, and no close growing melaleucas and tangled black- berries to bar our movements. Instead, there was a firm, smooth, nearly dry mud shore, carpeted by the desiccated remains of water weed. With our backs to the lake margin we could see, at eye level on the marginal melaleucas, a wide high-level marker band of this same water weed. There were many aquatic birds, but suspicious and cautious in mood as they anticipated our movements; and they kept their distance whether on the open water or beside the margin. The following were recorded: 90 to 100 Coots, 12 Black Ducks, 1 male Musk Duck, 2 White-faced Herons with a young one, 1 White Egret fishing, 3 Spur-winged Plovers, many Eastern Swamp Hens (flushed from the scrub bordering the water), 1 adult Crested Grebe shepherding three young ones across the water, and 12 Black Swans. A Reed Warbler attracted us, not by its usual dynamic song but by flit- ting among the dry stems of the Reed Mace. Another joined it and they busied themselves hunting insects. They will probably soon migrate to their winter haunts. Small birds coming from the mar- ginal scrub, to fossick in the reeds, was a party of Blue Wrens. | Even though our walk had been facilitated by the open shore, a con- stant north wind left us a little weary, so lunch was taken in a shady spot. We left the lake for our return journey. We _ pushed through the melaleuca belt, past the Red Gums (looking as unhappy in the dry as they had done in the wet), on to the slope Where the Mahogany Gums looked healthy, and into a grove of venerable Narrow-leaved Peppermints. Here a young Crimson Rosella called, while a White-eared Honeyeater shared his tree. An inordinately loud rustling was caused by a pair of Blackbirds scouring the dry Mahogany Gum leaves that carpeted the forest floor. Where a Mahogany Gum branch had been pulled away from the trunk, a mass of gum had exuded. Two Grey- backed Silvereyes were pulling at and eating pieces of this gum. One flew off while the other remained. This bird had unusual markings—white patches on upper rump, wing tip and neck, plus a pink lateral stripe. A handsome Golden Whistler in immaculate plumage called and was answered by his mate. Here too we saw a grey Thrush, a Yellow Robin and a small flock of White-naped Honeyeaters. Having used my jottings to compile this series of short articles, I feel that I have overtaken unfinished business. It was not too difficult once the first words had been written. I hope sin- cerely that many other members will be able to follow suit; and thus use the Victorian Naturalist in a manner which is their right—a medium for the publishing of their observations in natural history. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 Subscriptions Now Due The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria is administered by a relatively small number of honorary office-bearers. The growth of the club and the expansion of its activities, par- ticularly in connection with the production of the Victorian Naturalist, are continually adding to the burden of work. It is therefore requested that fees and subscriptions be paid as promptly as possible, in order to help lighten some of this burden. The financial year commences on the Ist January, 1969. - Jf you will not be paying your fees at one of the forthcoming general meetings, please remit them by post, using the form provided on the reverse side of this leaf. This procedure will save office-bearers’ time, and expense, in sending out reminder notices. PLEASE ATTEND TO THIS MATTER NOW You may help further by passing the following leaf on to an acquaintance who is not a member of the F.N.C.V. or a subscriber to the Victorian Naturalist but who might be interested in either. NOTES: 1. Membership fees for the year 1969 are as follows: Ordinary Members .. f. 2% re se en #3 a; Rr $7.00 Country Members .. ue as a ie as a i a $5.00 Joint Members ae is ae re ee ie es spe a $2.00 Junior Members ie ae He a aa bis Bi oe an $2.00 Junior Members receiving The Victorian Naturalist .. ae i $4.00 Subscribers to The Victorian Naturalist .. ws ie es i $5.00 Affiliated Societies fs te Es ae re ae sss mi $7.00 Life Membership (reduction after 20 years membership) .. .. $140.00 (Ordinary, and country members receive the Victorian Naturalist free of any further charge.) 2. The scheme of supporting membership was introduced so that those who are able and willing to do so might help club finances. You are invited to become a supporting member by making a voluntary addition to the normal annual fee of any sum you choose, from $1 upward. Details relating to supporting members and their payments are regarded by the treasurer as confidential, and no distinction or extra privilege is bestowed on the mem- bers concerned. (To be removed) Field Naturalists Club of Victoria FORM FOR RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP OR OF SUBSCRIPTION TO THE “VICTORIAN NATURALIST” (To be used by existing members or subscribers for payment of fees) Name(s) Address (Please indicate if there is a joint member) Mr. D. KE. MCINNES Hon. Treasurer, F.N.C.YV. 129 Waverley Road, East Malvern 3145 Dear Sir, Please find enclosed the sum of $ , to cover annual membership fees subscription to the Victorian Naturalist for the year 1969. Please enter this sum as follows: Membership fees .. Supporting membership ............ Subscription to Victorian Naturalist . fA fa Yours faithfully, emcee eet ee eee eset EEF E HOHE HERR OEE SHEED Eee BE eee EOE EE SEH TOES EEO EE SES SSE OD Book Review Night Watchmen of Bush and Plain by DAVID FLEAY Published by Jacaranda Press Pty. Ltd. Brisbane 10” x 7”, 163 pages. 17 colour and 99 half-tone plates, with Distribution Maps of Australian Hawk Owls inside front and back covers. Printed on high quality paper, with stiff cover and full colour dust-jacket. Price $5.50. Beginning with his early teenage years in 1923 when a vocation in pharmacy appeared about to be thrust upon him; and culminating with the first breeding in captivity of the Power- ful Owl in July 1968, is the subject to which David Fleay devotes the first five chapters of this book. Written in his usual easy style, and dotted with humour, the author is able to convey to the reader his feelings as he was taken on his first trip to camp in the forests which lay within the triangle formed by the towns of Bal- lan, Blackwood and Daylesford. Here, deep in the Korweingeboora forest, began the prelude to forty-two years of patient and painstaking study of the Powerful Owl. In succeeding chapters, the reader tramps with the author over miles of rugged country; and spends both pleas- ant nights and nights of being cold, wet, muddy and miserable. But always there is an expectancy that the roost- ing site of the Powerful Owl is near. Right through these first five chapters, the reader is constantly aware of David Fleay’s unflagging patience and de- January, 1969 termination to eventually breed cap- tively, this wonderful and lordly bird. In the remaining pages of the book, the reader is introduced to other spec- ies of owl including the Rufous Owl of the rain forests in northern Australia, the Barking Owl, the Boobook Owl, the Masked and Barn Owls, the long legged Grass Owl and the Sooty Owl. To complete the book, chapter thirteen is devoted to the Frogmouth and Nightjars. Indeed, for this reviewer, Night- watchmen of Bush and Plain has been one of the most impressive publica- tions on natural history during 1968. It is well written and _ illustrated, is authoritative in its text, and at the same time is able to be read and en- joyed by all age groups. To quote from the author’s intro- duction: . .. . Along the moonpaths and under the stars, in fact, there is a world of intense and abiding interest known to few but open to all. Be proud of things characteristically Australian, and do make sure for the sake of the future that children in particular treat them with the respect they deserve. G.M.W. Ecological Valence of Mountain Ash ( Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell. ) as a Key to its distribution ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that, “knowing the en- vironmental conditions necessary for the growth of a _ stenovalent species like mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) its distribution could be mapped accurately from analysis of the environ- ment”. If successful this could prove a relatively rapid method for mapping mountain ash vegetation. Tests were carried out in the Dande- nong Range in Victoria immediately after bushfires in January, 1962, made access, rapid traverses, and accurate identification of forest trees possible. Further identification and measure- ment of environmental factors, particu- larly precipitation, temperature, insola- tion, cloud cover, wind velocity and direc- tion, and soil depth, texture, and moisture were continued until mid-1965. Distribution of E. regnans was checked against environmental conditions and the narrow ecological valence of this species showed it to be a useful indicator plant of a narrow set of habitat conditions. The tested hypothesis was used to amend an earlier distribution map of E. regnans and other species in the Dan- denong Range. The hypothesis was fur- ther tested, in 1964 and 1965, on a larger scale to determine distribution of moun- tain ash and other Eucalypts in the Otway Ranges, a rugged area of difficult access in Southern Victoria. Field evidence in both the Dandenong and Otway Ranges supports the hypo- thesis that mountain ash occurs naturally wherever a narrow set of environmental conditions is present. These conditions include a moist environment with annual mean precipitation over 120 cm, absence of long periods of water stress, shelter from both strong cold and strong hot winds, free air drainage, and moist, deep, * Geography Department, University of Auck- land, New Zealand + Presented to the Botany Section of the 39th Conference for the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, Melbourne, Australia, January 1967. 6 G. Ross COCHRANE*+ well-drained soils. The altitudinal range of the species is between 225-1300 m. Its narrow ecological tolerance proves to be a useful indicator of its expected dis- tribution, not only for broad regional studies but also for recognizing smaller local patterns. Introduction Diversity of habitat in most forests and woodlands in Australia is charac- terized by different species of Euca- lyptus, and only Eucalyptus, as the tree dominants. There is also a high degree of uniformity of morphology in this genus. In other continents over a comparable environmental range different genera, families, and even broader systematic groupings—as well as life-form differences—are charac- teristic of the tree component of forest and woodland communities. Within the apparent uniformity of Eucalyptus vegetation large numbers of species are present (Blakely 1955; Wood 1959) and, wide variations in ecological valence occur (Pryor 1959). Some species tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, others are intolerant of changes even to the micro-habitat. The latter plants are good indicators of specific micro- habitats. Broad ecological studies (Her- bert 1929; Patton 1930; Carter 1946; Clifford 1953; Jacobs 1955; Gilbert 1958) and detailed autecological in- vestigations (Powles 1937, 1940; Carr 1954; Ashton 1956, 1958; Cun- ningham 1957, 1960; and Teller 1957) show mountain ash (Eucalyptus reg- nans F. Muell.) to be stenovalent (i.e. to have a narrow ecological tolerance). Mountain ash forests are found only Vict. Nat.—vVol. 86 in Victoria and Tasmania, in relatively restricted areas where a narrow range of environmental conditions occur that favour their growth. When these conditions are understood it should be possible to find mountain ash when- ever the set of conditions is repeated. In this study this hypothesis was inves- tigated for areas in the Dandenong Range, near Melbourne, and in the Otway Ranges in Southern Victoria, and the distribution of mountain ash verified. An earlier map by Clifford (1953) showing distribution of Euca- lyptus regnans in the Dandenong Range is amended. Physical Characteristics The Dandenong Range near Mel- bourne is an irregularly triangular- shaped range eight miles wide along its southern west-east aligned base and some eight miles in length along its main northeast-southwest axis. This upland area of largely dacite rocks (Morris 1913; Edwards 1955) rises steeply from the coastal lowlands to the west but is less steep on its south- eastern and eastern flanks. It reaches a maximum height of over 600 m at Mount Dandenong and at Burkes Lookout in the narrower northern apex. Average height of the divide is 540 m in the north and west and about 100 m lower in the south (Figure 1). A broad central upland area of several square kilometres in area cen- tered on Sherbrooke and containing the Sherbrooke Forest mountain ash reserve is a gently to moderately sloping area of deep krasnozem soils. Elsewhere shallower krasnozems and podzols occur similar to soils recorded in adjacent areas by Holmes, Leeper and Nicolls (1940). Skeletal soils are associated chiefly with toscanite out- crops on the lower western slopes of the Dandenong Range, but they also occur elsewhere. Mountain ash occurs only on the deep krasnozem soils. January, 1969 The deeply dissected Otway Ranges in southern Victoria are much more extensive in area and are more heavily forested though not much higher in elevation than the Dandenong Range. Both areas have a humid, mesothermal (Koppen Cfb) climate. Mean annual rainfall, which varies from 90-125 cm in the latter range, is over 250 cm in the wettest coastal uplands of the deeply dissected, tilted, Jurassic sand- stones, shales and siltstones of the Ot- ways. In both areas rainfall increases from about 90 cm at 150 m to maxi- mum values on windward upper slopes near 600 m elevation. Also tempera- tures are cooler, humidity higher, cloudiness greater, mists more frequent and rainfall effectiveness enhanced with increase in elevation. This paral- lels conditions recorded in the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia (Cochrane 1963). The main rain- bearing winds are from the south while strong, dessicating winds are chiefly from the north and west. These variations in climate with increasing altitude and with different aspects are reflected in the dominant tree associa- tions (Cochrane 1968a). Methods Immediately following the disastrous bushfires of January 14-17, 1962, in the Dandenong Range, a field pro- gramme investigating (a) the area and degree of fire damage, (b) the dis- tribution of Eucalypt tree species, and (c) the patterns of regeneration of trees and of understorey seral vegeta- tion was initiated and continued at regular and frequent intervals until June, 1965. The influences of relief, aspect, insolation, precipitation, cloud cover, temperature, wind velocity and soil texture and soil moisture were ob- served to determine their effects upon vegetation distribution and regenera- tion. Initially, whilst the areas were free 7 N & of undergrowth thereby allowing easy movement, a series of rapid traverses was carried out at 900 m intervals corresponding with the grid lines of the Victorian 1 : 50,000 Monbulk Sheet. This was soon modified to include traverses along ridges, crests, and valleys and around the contours at 150 m intervals. Maps at the scale of 1 : 7920 (1 inch to 10 chains) of the Dandenong Series and vertical air photographs at a similar scale, flown immediately after the bushfires, were used as base maps in all the later inves- tigations. Permanent quadrats, each of 100 m2 (10 m on a sidé), were set up under different Eucalyptus tree com- munities. and as the regenerating undergrowth vegetation became more dense, quadrats of 16 m? (each 4 m 8 Figure 1 on a side) were used to record the characteristics of ._the understorey species. . wig Temperatures were recorded from a series of maximum-minimum ther- mometers, wind velocities from spot anemometers, and altitude of cloud base from a surveying aneroid alti- meter. Other climatological inform- ation was interpolated from stations closest to the survey areas. Soils were analyzed in the field for structure, - depth, texture, pH, and moisture content at quadrat sites. To further test. the patterns that were recognized in the Dandenong Range detailed transects were recorded in the Otway Ranges during 1964 and 1965 in forest regenerated areas bur- ned during the calamitous, virtually State-wide.1939 bushfires, and also in Vict. Nat.—vVol. 86. areas that appeared to have escaped burning during the last 100 years. In addition to recording all plant species along the transects, the physical pro- perties of the soil and the pH were tested at regular intervals within vege- tation communities as well as at every break of slope and at each change of vegetation on a range of different aspects. These ground control transects were used for wider mapping from vertical air photographs. Results Several factors soon became ob- vious, however, only the first two fac- tors noted will be discussed in this paper although the other factors are all directly or indirectly significant in the plant-environment interrelation- ships observed. Firstly, field mapping showed ano- malies in the dominant tree species distribution described by Clifford (1953). Secondly, the distribution of Eucalyptus species was closely linked to habitat. Thirdly, distribution of bracken, Pteridium esculentum, a rapid and aggressive initial colonizer of bare, forest-fired areas was closely related to precipitation totals and soil depth. It formed an important nursery cover for later species in the pyrosere. Fourthly, tree dominants, all of which were Eucalypts, displayed distinct re- generation patterns which varied with each different species (Cochrane 1966). Fifthly, regeneration patterns of understorey species were influenced by the canopy cover of the tree domi- nants (Cochrane 1968b). Recent in- vestigations by Webb et al. (1967) also recognized the importance of canopy in the structure of Australian rainforests. Discussion The present author experienced more favourable circumstances for field investigations than were available to January, 1969 Clifford ten years earlier. The advan- tages included (1) relatively free access over difficult country for a few months when all the undergrowth had been razed by the January, 1962, bushfire (Figure 2). Clifford had been confined to roads and tracks with problems of identification when peer- ing into dense stands, especially of tall clean-barked trees which could be one of several species. Also the dense undergrowth which was present when Clifford mapped the area, frequently masked lower trunks, retarded pro- gress, and made it difficult to recog- nize shape and size of Eucalyptus leaves which were commonly 50 m above the ground. (2) Positive identi- fication of tree species was possible from leaf defoliation caused by radiant heat from the forest-fire understorey fuel. Leaves carpeting the fire-cleared ground shortly after the bushfire faci- litated exact identification even of individual trees. (3) Distribution pat- terns were confirmed later from the study of juvenile leaves when regen- eration of Eucalyptus trees began three to six months after the fire.(4) Large scale, 1: 7920, Dandenong Series maps were available for base maps along with 1961 and 1962 vertical air photographs of a similar scale. Clifford had to work with much less accurate base maps. However, although he plotted his distributions on a small scale map where it was difficult to define exact boundaries, he also prepared a large scale relief model of the Dandenong Range and showed distribution of Eucalyptus species on this: The most obvious differences ob- served between the present writer’s field mapping and the pattern mapped by Clifford (1953) was in the distribu- tion of two species, mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) and mountain grey gum, E. goniocalyx. Clifford’s 9 map showed that there was a signifi- cant observable relationship between the distribution of Eucalyptus species and the topography in the Dandenong Range. In effect these distribution pat- terns resulted primarily from differen- ces in aspect and rainfall totals with wet sclerophyll forest associations found on the moister, cooler, eastern and southern lee slopes and dry sclero- phyll forest associations occurring on the drier, warmer, western flanks which were more exposed to insolation and strong dry winds. Wet sclerophyll forest of almost pure stands of very tall (over 70 m) mountain ash was mapped by Clifford as occurring essentially on the eastern flank of the approximately northeast- southwest aligned main range in areas with 122 cm or more annual average rainfall and lower evaporation than on the western slopes. He also recog- nized their presence on _ southern slopes, between Sherbrooke and Bel- 10 Figure 2 grave, sheltered by land configuration from western and northern winds (Figure 3). Two very small localized areas in sheltered sites near roads were also mapped on the western flanks, west of Sassafras. Another wet sclero- phyll forest tree, mountain grey gum, occurred chiefly at lower elevations than mountain ash in areas with less than 122 cm precipitation essentially on the sheltered eastern lee where it was free from the frequent, high- velocity, dessicating northerly and north-westerly winds present on the westerly flank of the range. It also occurs on the western and northern slopes mainly in moist sheltered valleys in combination with species of the dry sclerophyll forest (Figure 2). On the western and northern flanks dry sclerophyll forest associations of stringybarks (E. obliqua, E. macrorr- hyncha, E. baxteri), box (E. elaeo- phora, E. melliodora), and pepper- mint (E. radiata) prevail with lesser continued on p. 19 Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 A New Species of Ray of the Genus Urolophus (Elasmobranchii : Uroiophidae) from Victoria by JoAN M. DIxon* Summary A new species of ray, Urolophus paucimaculatus from Victorian waters is recorded and described. Some observations are made on the distribution and breeding of this species. Introduction On 2nd May, 1967, the author collected a number of ichthyological speci- mens in Westernport Bay, Victoria and, amongst the sample of urolophids, found specimens which could not be identified. The most distinctive features of these were the presence of a few white spots on the upper surface of the disc, and the unusual arrangement of the nasal apparatus. From a search of the literature, it appeared that this was indeed a new species, and attempts were made to gather additional material. A number of specimens were collected, and material already held in the collections of the National Museum of Victoria was examined. Materials and Methods registered specimens, A 334 holotype Specimens were collected by various methods, some by hand, some by trawling and others were netted. They were fixed for a few days in 10% formalin, then washed and stored in 70% alcohol. The description of the species is based on National Museum of Victoria and A 335-A 349 paratypes. Speci- mens R 13351-R 13356 and A350 were examined. Measurements made on the type series are based mainly on the methods of Hubbs and Ishiyama (1968). They are point to point deter- minations and are measured in milli- metres. Systematic Account Class—ELASMOBRANCHII Family—UROLOPHIDAE Genus Urolophus Miiller and Henle, 1837 Ber. Verh. K. Pr. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1836 (1837), p. 117 Type species, Raja cruciata Lacépéde Urolophus paucimaculatus sp. nov. Plates I-III, Table I Material. Holotype: Male, total length 366 mm., National Museum of Vic- toria registration No. A 334, collected by A. O. Yateman in a 6” strand mono- filament net in 40 fathoms in Bass Strait, approximately 13 miles off Cape Patton, Victoria, 28th September, 1968. * Curator of Vertebrates, National Museum of Victoria. January, 1969 iia) Paratypes: 8 females and 6 males, National Museum of Victoria reg. nos. A 335-A 349 as follows: A 335 male, t.l. 338 mm. netted in 40 fathoms off Cape Patton 28th September, 1968, coll. by A. O. Yateman. A 336 male, t.l. 385 mm A 337 female, t.l. 463 mm. A 338 female, t.l. 142 mm. | A 339 male, t.l. 138 mm. A 340 male, t.l. 130 mm. oe A 341 male, t.l. 133 mm A 337 A 342 female, t.l. 135 mm A 343 female, t.l. 133 mm. Netted in 20 fathoms, 5 miles south-east of Zeally Point, Torquay, Victoria, 6th October, 1968, by A. O. Yateman. A 344 female, t.l. 308 mm. A 345 female, t.l. 330 mm. A 346 male, t.l. 111 mm. ) Young of A 347 male, t.1. 102 mm. A 345 Collected in otter trawl in 2 fathoms, in Hann’s Inlet, between Sandy Point and Tortoise Head, Westernport Bay, Victoria, from Fisheries and Wildlife boat “Caprella”, 2nd May, 1967 by J. M. Dixon. A 348 male, t.l. 358 mm. Collected (by hand) off Kirk Pt. Port Phillip Bay, Vict. Ist October, 1967 by T. Muir. A 349 male, t.l. 353 mm. Collected in 3 fathoms off Torquay, Vict. 19th July, 1968 by R. Milliken. Other material examined. Nat. Mus. Vict. specimens rep. nos. R 13351- R 13356 from Fisherman’s Bend, Vict. 2nd May, 1932, and A 350 from west of Lakes Entrance, Vic. 17th March, 1948. Coll. by A. Dunbavin Butcher. Diagnosis. This species is most easily distinguished from other urolo- phids by the presence of a few small white spots on the upper surface of the disc, and by the shape and arrange- ment of the nasal apparatus. (Plates I-III). Description. (For measurements of holotype, see Table I). Disc broader than long, anterior lateral margins slightly angled, pos- terior border rounded. Snout pro- duced into small sub-acute rostrum, behind it occur numerous dorsal pores. Distance between snout and mid- cloaca slightly exceeds distance from mid-cloaca to end of tail. [A Tail dorso-ventrally flattened, stout at base; tapers gradually into spatu- late, rounded caudal fin. Prominent lateral ridge arises just behind base of tail, becomes most evident half way along length of tail and obscure at about level of caudal spine. Spine stout, well defined, covered with skin in young specimens, bears 17-25 back- wardly directed, slightly curved narrow teeth in older specimens. Pelvic fins widen gradually from insertion to rounded lateral margins, moderately acute On inner posterior border. No dorsal fin. Orbits raised conspicuously above level of disc. Spiracles roughly triangular, wider Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 behind than in front, anterior edge almost level with front of eye, pos- terior edge curves medially around hinder rim of orbit. Nasal curtain in shape of a broad bell. Rounded antero-lateral margins almost fill nostril when depressed. Lobes of curtain asymmetrical, right lobe closes nostril more completely than left. Postero-lateral edges ex- tended into small rounded processes projecting beyond hind border of cur- tain. Frenum mildly fimbriate, left and right sides divided by median notch at junction with nasal septum. Postero- lateral margin of nostril has charac- teristic inwardly directed prominence. Cavity of nostril bordered at rear by fleshy lobe which accommodates ex- pansion of nasal curtain. Mouth has small labial folds, lower lip shows a median shallow depression; skin behind lower lip pleated into several longitudinal folds. Papillate maxillary velum in throat. Inside mouth, behind lower lip lies a series of small buccal processes which may divide into about six club- shaped extremities. Teeth showing sexual dimorphism. Male with two distinct tooth types, un- differentiated, flat rhomboidal ones laterally, and sharp semi-triangular backwardly pointed ones towards mid line in both jaws. In females, teeth regularly arranged, rhomboidal, pave- ment-like with small transverse keels having slight backwardly projecting tips. Colour. (Described from freshly preserved specimens). Disc _ grey- brown above, whitish grey below, edges of disc darker. A conspicuous U-shaped brown band between eyes just behind spiracle extends anteriorly around inner margin of orbit on each side, then posteriorly along outer margin. Upper surface of disc usually patterned with a few regularly ar- January, 1969 ranged small white spots encircled by dark border. In the type series the number of spots ranges from 0 (in three juveniles) to 9. Some spots spherical, others dumb-bell shaped. Position variable, usually in pairs in linear series; a single spot may occur between eyes, and any one of a pair may be absent. Caudal fin darker than body of tail. Iris of eye golden orange. Dorsal spine translucent-white in adults, tinged with yellow in juveniles. The above description is based on the specimens of the type series, both males and females. The holo- type, A 334, a male, is distinguished by its spot pattern, one pair outside and almost level with front of eyes, a single spot between the eyes, one on left side behind the eye and a pair posterior to this. Distribution. From material and records available the known range of U. paucimaculatus is from Portland, through Bass Strait, to a distance of 13 m. off the Victorian coast, into Port Phillip Bay, Westernport Bay, and off the Victorian coast at Lakes Entrance. The species is found in depths varying from 2-40 fathoms. Breeding information. Specimens with young have been recorded on three occasions. One of the Westernport Bay specimens, A 345, gave birth pre- maturely to two young on 2nd May, 1967. In July of that year, Mr. B. Carthew of Portland sent in to the Museum a photograph of.a female with four juveniles. On 6th October, 1968, A 337, taken from Zeally Pt., Torquay, produced six well formed young. Affinities. The species Urolophus paucimaculatus is easily distinguished from the other Australian urolophids. Its spotted disc links it with such forms as U. gigas, U. circularis and iS U. bucculentus; however, in both the number and arrangement of spots it can be distinguished from these spec- ies. There appear to be affinities with U. viridis and U. lobatus. In the for- mer species, the greenish colour of the body and the absence of the small inwardly directed prominence on the hinder border of each nostril enable clear distinction from U. paucimacu- latus. The conspicuous tentacle on the outer margin of the nostril in U. lobatus does not occur in U. pauci- maculatus. Acknowledgments. Thanks are due to the numerous collectors in the abovementioned paper, for their most valuable assistance in helping to pro- vide a range of material; to Mr. G. P. Whitley for help in the initial stages of the work, and to Mr. F. Guy of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Tech- nology for the photographs. REFERENCES Fowler, H. W. 1941. Contributions to the biology of the Philippine Archi- pelago and adjacent regions. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 100 (3): 1-879. Hubbs, C. J. and Ishiyama, R. 1968. Methods for the Taxonomic Study and Description of Skates (Rajidae). Copeia 1967 (3): 483-491. Macleay, W. 1884. Notices of New Fishes. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 9: 7s Marshall, T. C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. (Angus and Robert- son, Sydney): 1-566. McCulloch, A. R. 1916. Report on some Fishes obtained by the F. I. S. “En- deavour” on the coasts of Queens- land, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and southwestern Austra- lia. Biol. Res. Endeavour 4 (4): 169- 178. ————., 1922. Checklist of The Fishes and Fish-like Animals of New South Wales. Aust. Zool. Handbook No. 1: 1-104. , 1929-30. A Checklist of the Fishes Recorded from Australia. Aust. Mus. Mem. 5 (1): 27-28. McKay, R. 1966. Studies on Western Australian Sharks and Rays of the families Scyliorhinidae, Urolophidae and Torpedinidae. J. Proc. Roy. Soc. West. Aust. 49 (3): 68-72. Miiller, J. 1838. On the generic charac- ters of Cartilaginous Fishes, with Des- criptions of new genera. Mag. Nat. Hist. (n.s.) 2: 90. and Henle, F. G. 1837. Gatt- ungen der Haifische und Rochen, nach icher Arbeit: “Eber die Naturges- chichte der Knorpelfische”. Ber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss.: 117. Munro, I. S. R. 1956. Handbook of Aus- tralian Fishes. Fisheries Newsletter 15 No. 7: 1-20. , 1967. The Fishes of New Guinea (New South Wales Govern- ment Printer): 1-650. Scott, T. D. 1954. Four New Fishes from South Australia. Rec. S. Aust. Mus. 11 (2): 105-112. Stead, D. G. 1963. Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas. (Angus and Robert- son, Sydney): 1-211. Waite, E. R. 1923. The Fishes of South Australia. Handbooks of the Flora and Fauna of South Australia. (Govern- ment Printer Adelaide): 1-243. Whitley, G. P. 1929. Additions to the Check-list of the Fishes of New South Wales. Aust. Zool. 5 (4): 354. , 1939. Taxonomic notes on Sharks and Rays. Aust. Zool. 9 (3): 257-258. Whitley, G. P. 1940. The Fishes of Aus- tralia. Part 1. The Sharks, Rays, Devil Fish and other Primitive Fishes of Australia and New Zealand. , 1964. A Survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 89, (1): 11-127. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 TABLE I Dimensions of Holotype A 334, in millimetres Definition of part Dimension in mm. ec ment Part measured 1 Total length 2 Disc width 3 Disc length (a) 4 Disc length (b) 5 Snout-cloaca 6 Tail length ii; Tail width 8 Tail lateral fold 9 Pelvic fin width 10 Pelvic fin length 11 Caudal fin az Preocular length 13 Preoral length 14 Prenarial length 15 Internarial distance 16 Nasal curtain—length 17 Nasal curtain—width 18 Mouth width 19 Eyeball length 20 Interorbital distance 21 Interspiracular distance 22 Spiracle length 23 Distance between gill slits Ist pair 2nd pair 3rd pair 4th pair 5th pair 24 Snout to gill slits 1st pair 2nd pair 3rd pair 4th pair Sth pair 25 Clasper length 26 Tail spine length Di Tail spines—number From snout top to caudal fin tip At maximum pectoral spread Snout to posterior margin of pectoral fin. Snout to inner pectoral margin Snout tip to cloaca centre Cloaca centre to tip of cau- dal fin Maximum, at insertion Anterior to posterior limits Maximum, each fin from posterior margin of cloaca From lateral insertion to inner posterior limit Maximum height Snout tip to anterior mar- gin of eyeball Snout tip to mouth slit Snout to anterior rim of nostril Minimum separation of nos- trils, at sides of nasal curtain From front rim of nostril to posterior limit of cur- tain Posterior width, left or right lobe Between inner borders of lips Excluding surrounding tisue Minimum, between inner- margins of orbits Minimum, between inner- most border of spiracles Maximum from front to rear rim Between lateral extremities To outer edge of gill slits Lateral, to pelvic fin junc- tion From base posteriorly, to apex All visible and clearly de- fined spines 366 235 205 186 187 174 20- qhUs 43- Dyas 16: See 50: 38: 15; 2 = 00 nm & \o CON January, 1969 16 Urolophus paucimaculatus sp. nov. Holotype, A 334, male, total length 366 mm., dorsal aspect Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 Plate II Urolophus paucimaculatus sp. nov. Holotype, A 334, male, total length 366 mm., ventral aspect. January, 1969 17 18 Plate III Urolophus paucimaculatus sp. nov. Holotype, A 334, male, total length 366 mm., ventral aspect showing nasal apparatus. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 continued from p. 10 species present in restricted sites and swamp gum (E. ovata) localized along stream courses. Clifford’s field observations showed that distribution was essentially dry sclerophyll forest on western slopes and wet sclerophyll forest on the shel- tered eastern flanks. Although he re- cognized this major division between western and eastern slopes and in the south in the Sherbrooke Forest area, he failed to apply the same principie on a smaller scale, relating local climate (relief, aspect, exposure) uni- formly to vegetation. Thus, on the eastern flanks both mountain grey gum and messmate, E. obliqua, are found well within Clifford’s mountain ash region on areas that are relatively ex- posed to the north. Similar irregular- ities in distribution are present on the ae 5 ath oe'4es stators Raw Yig “2 os aig ie a oe Distribution of mountain ash after Clifford s a Additional areas of mountain ash METRES 1000 2000 3000 L000 January, 1969 western slopes when wet sclerophyll species occur in favourable localities within the prevailing dry sclerophyll communities. Field surveys during 1962-65 show- ed that within the 122 cm isohyet variations in temperature, insolation, cloud cover and windiness, chiefly resulting from differences in aspect and exposure, and changes in soil charac- teristics, especially soil type (kras- nozem, podzol or skeletal), soil depth, and soil moisture retentivity were the chief controlling factors in species dis- tribution (Tables 1 and 2). Differences in actual distribution from that mapped earlier by Clifford were even more marked on the wes- tern flanks. This was especially the case in the basin where the tributaries of the upper reaches of the Dandenong Figure 3 [q Silvan Reservoir 19 TABLE 1 Average temperature range, vegetation, soils, and cloud base for sites within the 120 cm annual average isohyet on the Dandenong Range near Burkes Lookout (temperature C°). Station Crest, just Month N face W face over S lee S face Dec (Summer) 45-8 46-6 34-8 24-4 Mar 33-9 25) 19ES 16-7 June (Winter ) 8-9 9-7 6-7 3-1 Sept 26-7 23-9 19-5 15 Vegetation Eucalyptus radiata FE. radiata E. goniocalyx E. regnans E. obliqua E. obliqua E. obliqua Soils: Krasnozem ue - E. goniocalyx E. regnans Podzols & Skeletals re ss E. obliqua E. goniocalyx Alluvial — — E. viminalis E.. viminalis Wet soil — — E. ovata Cloud base: Winter Usually above Usually Occasionally Commonly 900 m above 900 m below 300 m below 300 m Summer Usually above Usually Usually Frequently 900 m above 900 m above 700 m below 300 m Creek drain the western flanks of the Range. Although mapped by Clifford as supporting dry sclerophyll forest of messmate and narrow-leaf pepper- mint (E. radiata), with some mountain grey gum, this area chiefly supported mountain ash. Other species combina- tions replaced mountain ash on aspects open to the west or north. What do the observed differences in patterns of distribution of mountain ash imply? It is well known that E. regnans usually occurs as a single species, even-aged stand and has a very narrow. ecological tolerance. As was noted earlier this has been documented by various workers. Work on the syne- cology (Ferguson 1957) and the aute- cology of the species, and particularly studies of seedlings under both field and glasshouse laboratory conditions by Drangsholt (1956), Cunningham (1960) and Ashton (1956) have es- tablished certain critical limits for mountain ash. Broadly these involve moist conditions with annual average rainfall over 120 cm, absence of a 20 long period of water stress, deep, well, but not excessively drained soils, shel- ter from drying winds and free air drainage because of frost tmtolerance of mountain ash seedlings. Cool tem- peratures do not appear limiting as the altitudinal range of the species is between 225-1,300 m, although it grows best between 450-1,050 m elev- ation. : Recognizing that habitat conditions favoring mountain ash were generally absent on the western flanks of the Dandenong Range, Clifford mapped all E. regnans as occurring east of the main divide with the exception of two very small areas west of Sassafras, where road access was good. Field investigations by the present writer showed that physical conditions sup- porting magnificent mountain ash forest in Sherbrooke Forest are not dissimilar from those in the burned catchment area of the upper Dande- nong Creek in the southern lee of Burkes Lookout. In addition, condi- tions are similar to those present in Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 the two very small areas on the western flank, which were mapped by Clifford as supporting mountain ash. Field evidence fully supported the belief that mountain ash had also been present in this area prior to the bush- fire of Jaunary, 1962. (1) Leaves of mountain ash were found beneath fire- killed trees. (2) Nine months after the bushfire the trees remained starkly gaunt, bare and bleached whereas all trees other than mountain ash had regenerated green juvenile foliage from dormant, epicormic, adventitious shoots. This tallied with the known distribution of mountain ash on the eastern flanks where mountain ash was killed by the bushfire. Unlike most Eucalypts, E. regnans exhibits very weak regeneration, does not coppice freely and because of its thin bark is easily and usually killed by fire. (3) It could be argued that the tall dead trees were not mountain ash but rather mountain grey gum killed by an extremely severe fire in that particular locality. However, there was an absence of the thick bark found on all mountain grey gum inspected throughout the entire burned area. Also, E. goniocalyx was present at the margins in the very narrow ecotone between E. obliqua and E. regnans where it could be expected to occur. (4) In addition, on localized sites that were more exposed to wind and insolation than elsewhere within the mountain ash enclave and, where shallow krasnozems and podzols occur- red, mountain grey gum was again present and vigorously regenerating. Thus, E. goniocalyx was present in all the local microhabitats where it nor- mally occurs. (5) Within the area of dead trunks occasional, isolated, fire-scorched but not killed E. regnans were present. Owing to some vagary of the fire-path or, perhaps due to localized less dense understorey scrub, radiant heat from January, 1969 the fire had caused leaf defoliation only. The characteristic slow very Sparse regeneration of these isolated trees was unmistakable (Cochrane 1968b). (6) The occurrence of E. regnans seedlings in some of the more open areas where sunlight was not shut off by dense undergrowth was one of the most conclusive arguments that this area of fire-killed trees was a former mountain ash community. Over much of the gentler slopes of the basin E. regnans seedlings, ranging in height from 1-3-3 m occurred at an average density of one per square metre three years after the fire. Seedlings were present but much less frequent on the steep slopes. (7) Characteristic associated spe- cies of the Dandenong mountain ash communities such as Olearia spp., Pomaderris, Pimelia, Pteridium, and wire grass (Tetrarrhena juncea) were prominent among the _ regenerating understorey plants following the bush- fire. Other species typically occurred with different Eucalyptus associations (Cochrane 1968b). Furthermore, the pattern of plant species observed in this “enclave” was repeated immediately to the east where another similar but smaller, sheltered, south-facing area was present. In both these areas the distribution pattern of species was closely related to habitat conditions with E. regnans the most sensitive. Mountain ash distribution was influenced by a narrow set of environmental conditions. Wherever these appeared mountain ash vegeta- tion was present. Beyond the basin on the north and west slopes E. obliqua and E. radiata replaced the mountain ash. Also, to the east beyond the pro- tection of the western ridge E. obliqua replaced mountain ash on the spurs. In the lee of these spurs mountain ash reappeared. Za TABLE 2 Frequency analysis of the direction of annual maximum wind gusts to 1962 at Melbourne. Directions not shown in the table each had zero annual maximum wind gusts. Direction N NNW NW WNW W WSW SW _ SSE NNE_ E SE 1 4 6 B} pp 3 4 1 1 0 0 26 7 2 0 The reasons for this enclave of mountain ash forest on the major wes- tern exposed flank of the Dandenong Range resulted from its protection in the southern lee of Burkes Lookout and also from the long ridge to the west giving the basin an eastern lee situation. Spot anemometer recordings showed that wind velocities were only 1-8-3 ms on the southern slopes sup- porting the mountain ash enclave when they were 3-4-9 m s in the immediate lee of the main crest, in mountain grey gum and 20-22:4 ms on the exposed northern and western slopes clothed with messmate and narrow-leaf pepper- mint. Recordings over the period of field investigations showed that wind velocities in the basin were normally only 1/7-1/5 those on the northern and western slopes. Strong winds (over 13:4 m s) are predominantly northerly. Expressed as a percentage of total winds above 13-4 ms 75-80 per cent are from the north or northwest, and 90 per cent are from northerly or westerly quar- ters. Whittingham (1964) showed that annual maximum wind gusts essen- tially conform to a similar pattern (Table 2). No mountain ash occurs on the exposed windward sites even where soil and moisture conditions are fa- vourable for its establishment. The sheltered basin also experiences much less insolation that the northern and western slopes (Figure 1) and a generally milder temperature (Table 1). Temperature range is approxim- 22, ately half that of the exposed northern and western faces only a few metres away (Table 1). Minimum values at all stations were generally within a few degrees of each other but maxi- mum values were much greater at stations outside the basin than those within it. The relief, configuration and the general lack of wind in the basin serve to trap and hold low clouds. Fre- quently cloud base was down to only 300 m elevation in the sheltered south- ern lee during the winter months when the western slopes were swept free of clouds to over 900 m_ elevation. During summer, morning mists and low cloud were frequently present in the sheltered basin when northern and western slopes were receiving large amounts of insolation. “Forest smoke” (Rossmann 1952) often clung about the tree canopy in the basin for about one hour after rain but was not widely observed elsewhere on the western flanks. Thus, apart from the enhanced effectiveness of total precipitation on the southern slopes due to less total insolation and less evaporation through lower temperatures, precipitation may also have been increased by up to one- fifth or more from interception and fog drip (Linke 1921; Grunow 1955; Nagel 1956). This creates favourabie growth conditions for mountain ash communities. Within the perimeter of the shel- tered southern slope mountain ash Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 was found only where deep, friable, free-draining but moist krasnozem soils were present. It was replaced by moun- tain grey gum where soils became shal- lower or drier. Mountain grey gum also grew on steep rocky moist faces with skeletal soil. Messmate was present on the shallower and drier skeletal soils within the basin, espe- cially on the steepest slopes. Thus, within the Dandenong Range, moun- tain ash occurs naturally only where “a narrow set of environmental con- ditions are present. Because of its narrow ecological valence its distribu- tion can be accurately defined from an analysis of the environment. After investigations showed that the distribution of E. regnans was closely related to local environmental condi- tions, the small scale field investiga- tions carried out in the Dandenong Range were tested on a much larger scale in the rugged Otway Ranges in southern Victoria. Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), mannah gum (E. viminalis), messmate, mountain grey gum, and mountain ash form important distinct communities, each reflecting varying degrees of en- vironmental control (Cochrane 1968a). Mountain ash occupied similar closely defined environmental parameters to those measured in the Dandenong Range. Detailed field investigations embracing a wide range of different site conditions showed a remarkably close relationship between species dis- tribution, precipitation totals, the height of the cloud base and associated cloud drip, the prevalence of tog, the degree of exposure to wind and insola- tion, and soil conditions. E. regnans occurred where optimum climatic site conditions similar to those recorded in the Dandenong Range were present but it was absent in such localities if soil conditions were not favourable. Shallow soils, or overmoist, or very January, 1969 free-draining soils did not support E. regnans. At elevations around 500 m and above, where rainfall was over 125 cm and cloud base frequently below 300 m mountain ash was found on all aspects if such locations were not very exposed to winds. In such areas shallow soils were less limiting as they usually re- mained moist: In areas exposed to strong hot or strong cold winds moun- tain ash was replaced by other species. Ground control traverses in the Otway Ranges were located on verti- cal air photograph stereographic pairs to determine how accurately structure, texture, shade, patterns and other photographic properties could be analyzed for the wider mapping of sclerophyll forest communities. Meas- ured field data showed that mountain ash vegetation in the Otway Ranges was closely related to environmental conditions. This information related to observed patterns on the vertical air photographs proved a reasonably suc- cessful method for mapping vegetation distributions over the difficult country of the Otway Ranges. E. regnans com- munities demonstrate Boyko’s (1947) geoecological law of distribution that the micro-distribution of an ecotypic plant or of a plant community is a parallel function of its macro-distribu- tion. The specific topographical distribu- tion (micro-distribution) of mountain ash in the sheltered area south of Burkes Lookout and its general geo- graphical distribution in the Dande- nong and Otway Ranges, and else- where in Victoria and Tasmania are all determined by the same _ ecological amplitudes. Thus, the distribution of naturally occurring mountain ash com- munities can be determined from an analysis of environmental characteris- tics, many of which can be readily interpreted from topographical maps and vertical air photographs. 23 LITERATURE CITED Ashton, D. H., 1956—Studies on the autecology of Eucalyptus regnans. Un- published thesis. University of Mel- bourne Botany School. , 1958—The ecology of Euca- lyptus regnans F. Muell.: the species and its frost resistance. Aust. J. Bot. 6: 154-76. Blakely, W. F., 1955—A Key to The Eucalypts. Forestry and Timber Bureau, Canberra. 359 pp. Boyko, Hugo, 1947—On the role of plants as quantitative climate indicators and the geoecological law of distribu- tion. J. Ecol. 35: 138-57. Carr, N., 1954—Eucalyptus regnans. Some considerations of the dissemina- tion of its seed by wind, its natural regeneration on cleared and logged- Over areas, and seed bed conditions. MS., Melbourne University Forestry School. Carter, C. E., 1946—The distribution of the more important timber trees of the genus Eucalyptus. Canberra Forestry Bureau, Atlas No. 1. Clifford, H. T., 1953—On the distribution of the species of Eucalyptus in the region of the Dandenong Range, Vic- toria. Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict. 65: 30-55. Cochrane, G. Ross, 1963—Vegetation studies in forest-fire areas of the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia. Ecology 44: 41-52. , 1966—Bushfires and vegeta- tion regeneration. Vict. Nat. 83: 4-10. , 1968a—Biogeography with Australian application Jn G. H. Dury and M. I. Logan (Eds.) Studies in Australian Geography. pp. 37-70. Heinemann, Sydney. , 1968b—Fire ecology in south- eastern Australian sclerophyll forests. Proceedings Tall Timbers Fire Eco- logy Conference, Talahassee, March 14-15, 1968. Cunningham, T. M., 1957—Seed produc- tion and seed fall of Eucalyptus reg- nans (F. Muell.) Aust. For. 21: 30-9. , 1960—The natural regenera- tion of Eucalyptus regnans. Melb. Univ. Press, Melbourne, Australia. 158 pp. Drangsholt, K., 1956—-Mountain ash seed throw. Vic. For. Newsletter No. 7. Edwards, A. B., 1955—The rhyolite- dacite-granodiorite association of the Dandenong Range. Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict. 68: 111-49. Ferguson, K. V. M., 1957—-Handbook of forestry in Victoria. Forests Comm. Vic. Misc. Pub. No. 7. 24 Gilbert, J. M., 1958—Eucalypt-rainforest relationships and the regeneration of Eucalypts. Unpublished thesis, Univ. of Tasmania Botany Department. Grunow, J., 1955—Der Niederschlag im Bergwald. Forstw. C. 74: 21-36. Herbert, D. A., 1929—The major factors in the present distribution of the genus Eucalyptus. Proc. Roy. Soc. Qld. 40: 165-93. Holmes, E: -Cy “Leeper, Gr aw- and Nicolls, B. B., 1940—A survey of land utilization in the Berwick District. Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict. 52: 177. Jacobs, M. R., 1955—Growth habits of the Eucalypts. Forestry and Timber Bureau, Canberra, 262 pp. Linke, F., 1921—Niederschlagsmessung unter Baumen. Met. Z. 38: 277. Morris, M., 1913—-On the geology and petrology of the district between Lily- dale and Mount Dandenong. Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict. 26: 1. Nagel, J. F., 1956—Fog precipitation on Table Mountain. Quart J. 82: 452-60. Patton, R. T., 1930—The factors con- trolling the distribution of trees in Vic- toria. Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict. 42: 154. Powles, R., 1937—Artificial regeneration of mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) by direct sowing. Vic. Forester. 2: 26-30. , 1940—Artificial regeneration of mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) Aust. For. 5: 28-32. Pryor, L. D., 1959—Species distribution and association in Eucalyptus. p. 461- 71. In A. Keast, et al. (Eds.) Mono- graphiae Biologicae 8. Junk, Den Haag. Rossmann, F., 1952—Das Rauchen der Walder nach Regen und die Unter- scheidung von Wasserdampf und Wasserauch. Wetter u. Leben. 4: 56-7. Teller, L., 1957—-An investigation into the effect of tree age of Eucalyptus regnans on quantity and quality of seed produced. MS., Melbourne Uni- versity Forestry School. Webb, L. J., Tracey, J. G., Williams, W. T., and Lance, G. N., 1967—Studies in the numerical analysis of complex rain-forest communities. I. J. Ecol. 55: Whittingham, H. E., 1964—-Extreme wind gusts in Australia. Bureau of Meteoro- logy Bull. No. 46. Wood, J. G., 1959—The phytogeography of Australia. p. 291-302. In A. Keast et al. (Eds.) Monographiae Biologicae 8. Junk, Den Haag. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 Field Naturalists Club of Victoria APPLICATION FORM To be used by new members or subscribers. (Cross out parts which are not applicable) I wish to subscribe to the Victorian Naturalist for 1969. Please post it monthly to the address below. Ordinary I wish to apply for Country membership of the Field Junior Naturalists Club of Victoria. My full name and address is: Mr. Miss I enclose the sum of $ in payment of the year’s fee. Wate. 4/7. / 1969. SILCALY GD a Oe nC A Siig tins, eae Field Naturalists Club of Victoria AN INVITATION TO PERSONS INTERESTED IN AUSTRALIAN FAUNA, FLORA AND COUNTRYSIDE If you have not already an affiliation with the F.N.C.V., you may apply to the club either for membership or for regular sub- scription to the Victorian Naturalist. These are some of the club’s activities: e General meetings each month, with informative, illustrated talks by prominent naturalists. These are held on the second Monday of each month, at the National Herbarium, South Yarra. e Meetings of study groups comprising those with specialized interests such as geology, botany, microscopy, entomology, native fauna, etc. e Organized excursions, led by nature experts, to places of interest, both near and far. e The maintenance of a large lending-library of nature books and magazines. e The publication monthly of the Victorian Naturalist, a well-illustrated nature magazine produced for the general reader as well as the expert. This is issued free to all members. Membership is available to any person interested in nature; it is not necessary to have any specialized knowledge. Membership Fees for the year 1969 are: Ordinary members (living within 20 miles of G.P.O. Melbourne) .. $7.00 Country members (living over 20 miles from G.P.O., Melbourne) .. $5.00 Junior members (under 18 years of age)... ii or a ee o2.00 Non-members may subscribe to the “Victorian Naturalist” for $5.00. If you are interested in either membership of the club or subscription to the Victorian Naturalist, please complete the appropriate parts of the form on the reverse side of this leaf and post it to: Honorary Secretary, F.N.C.V. National Herbarium South Yarra, Victoria 3141 (To be removed) General Meeting—9 December, 1968 The Herbarium hall was full and the President Mr. E. R. Allan was in the chair. : The minutes of the previous meeting were taken as read on the motion of Mr. Woollard and Mr. Morrison. The President presented a certificate of honorary membership of the F.N.C.V. to Miss Mary Bull, who has been a member for 40 years. In responding, Miss Bull expressed her pleasure in receiving the certificate. She said that although she hasn’t been recently very active in the club, at the beginning, when she joined, ‘she scarcely missed an excursion or a meeting. She has thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all that she has received from the club. When she first came from Eng- land, she was expected to teach Botany, but despaired at having to take excursions as the native plants were unknown to her. She was recommended to go to the Bot- anic Gardens for assistance, and she saw Mr. St. John who advised her to join the F.N.C.V. and learn of the flora. He and Miss Janet Raff proposed her for mem- bership and she went on the first excur- sion with Mr. Tadgell and enjoyed a wonderful and totally mew experience, with billy tea at Hurstbridge. She often took her students over the same area, telling them what Mr. Tadgell had told her. Four new members whose names ap- pear in the December Naturalist were elected on the motion of Miss Allender and Mr. P. Curliss. The Secretary said that he had re- ceived a letter from the 15th Brighton Scout Troop, asking for someone with knowledge of natural history to help them at their Camp at Gilwell Park on 29th December or 3rd January. Mr. Swaby and Miss M. Elder offered to help. A letter from Wodonga was received asking for information on forming a Naturalist group. The members were reminded that the Treasurer Mr. D. McInnes is ready to receive annual subscriptions due on Janu- ary Ist, 1969. The President read the report by Mr. McInnes on the Nature Show balance which showed a profit of $384. Of this $30 went to the Hawthorn Juniors and of the remainder one third was for the S.G.A.P. and two thirds for the F.N.C.V. Miss Woollard has copies of “Insect Wonders of Australia” for 12c—the pro- ceeds for the Junior Naturalist Club. The President announced that nomina- January, 1969 tions for the Council must be made next meeting, and that he would be away next year and would not be available for nomination. The Subject for the evening was “Wild Flowers of the North” by Mr. Alan Mor- rison. He showed on the screen a map of the areas covered in the north of South Australia, in the Northern Territory, and the N.E. of Western Australia on more than one trip; which included the Everard Range, Ellery and Ormiston Gorge, and on another trip through Alice Springs, the Devil’s Marbles, Tennant Creek, Mataranka, Katherine Gorge, Berry Springs, Darwin, Daly River Crossing, back to Katherine, Timber Creek, Kunu- nurra, and the Ord River back through Timber Creek to Jasper Gorge and Vic- toria River Downs, and then back to Alice Springs. Magnificent slides of the areas, and of the plants and animals seen were project- ed by Mr. Ian Morrison. The emblem of South Australia— Sturt’s desert pea (Clianthus formosus), plentiful this year, made a fine introduc- tion. The red weathered granite boulders of the Everard Range, the masses of pink everlastings (Schoenia), yellow everlast- ings, the large yellow guinea flowers of Hibbertia glaberrima, Rulingia grandiflora with pink flowers, the porcupine grass (Triodia) in full flower, and concealing its painful spiny leaves, a lovely pink spotted Eremophila alternifolia, white Goodenia calcarata, the brilliant red fleshy persistent sepals of Eremophila calysina, a creek bed with white barked Eucalypts harbouring parrots’ nests all showed a grand array of beauty. A spot- ted gecko and the bower of a bower bird added life to this display. The Corkwood tree—Hakea lorea with its spikes of cream flowers and rough corky bark contrasted with the tessellated oe of a bloodwood—Eucalyptus termi- nalis. Of the twelve kinds of Hibiscus seen, Hibiscus farragei occurred in this locality. Striking patterns on the red earth were made by a white Helipterum, and the spreading ropy inflorescences of Dys- phania, and big green pussytail heads of Ptilotus macrocephalus. A picture of a red dusty bare track with dying mulga in a drought year was contrasted with a similar area this year after good rains showing the ground al- most covered with flowers, (the geologists complaining that they could not see the 2) gibber). Goodenia grandiflora was well named. It is a 4 ft. high shrub. At Daly River crossing a big salt water crocodile was seen but not photographed. The smaller fresh water protected croco- diles were seen at the Roper and Kather- ine and Ord rivers. A disused copper mine was visited and a swamp with brolgas was viewed from this site. A large pink hibiscus and a brilliant yellow one grew near the Daly. Above Timber Creek store, paintings were photographed horizontal figures. Beyond this, Boab or bottle trees, some leafless, some leafy, were an outstanding feature—the large gourds and seeds being edible. The Ord River with the brilliantly red hills at Kununurra were shown. Here two carnivorous plants were seen— Drosera indica having long narrow leaves with sensitive digestive hairs, and the pink-lilac flowered Byblis, having sticky but not sensitive hairs, as well as digest- ive glands on the stems and narrow leaves. The high cliffs of Jasper Gorge from which aborigines used to throw spears at the cattlemen overlook a chain of water holes. Two types of large clever- ly constructed mason wasps’ nests were noticed. A small tree with spherical orange like fruits was Strychnos lucida. Birds eat the fruit and discard the poisonous seeds. Acacias showed a great variety of forms from large very wide “leaves” to one with whorls of tiny “leaves” with thread-like points. Amongst the great variety of beautiful hibiscus species Hibiscus goldsworthyi was remarkable with its yellow flower and densely hairy finely prickled leaves. Pink Calytrix microphylla was a com- mon shrub in many areas. At Victoria Rivers Downs a warning was posted against a creeper with pods having bright red shiny seeds with black tips. This is Abrus containing abrin—the most potent poison known, which would cause death if the seeds were broken and eaten. The seeds were often used for beads. This plant was found on the trip. The talk ended with a picture of the floral emblem of the Northern Territory —Sturt’s desert rose—Gossypium stuarti- anum. The President thanked Mr. Morri- son for his most interesting talk and the native showing 26 beautiful slides, and this was supported by enthusiastic applause from the large audience. Mrs. G. Taylor announced a camping weekend on Dargo High Plains arranged by Miss Nancy Rossiter and Miss Jean Galbraith on Australia Day weekend. The road taken will be via Fernbank. Mrs. Taylor drew attention to articles on Nature Conservation in the Christian Science Monitor with 15 weekly episodes. Mr. Hanks said that he had arranged for twelve members to take part in the January Members’ Night. Nature Notes and Exhibits Mr. Ken Strong asked for information on Moths collected at Balnarring—the male being small and grey and the female larger and steel blue. Mr. F. Morley showed mud nests of the fairy martin. These were given to him by the owner of the property at Deniliquin. These birds were not seen in the area before irriga- tion. Nests were built under a culvert in a water pipe with only 15 inches clearance —thousands of mud pellets made the 10 inch long nests. He said that Charles Barrett claimed that a group of birds combined to build a nest. If so who would be the rightful owner? Mr. A. J. Swaby brought Pratia pedun- culata (Trailing Pratia) which is usually prostrate, but this specimen was growing upright under a verandah by a wall facing north—presumably a reaction to the direction of light. He also showed Pratia surrepens (Alpine Pratia), Mentha sature- joides (creeping mint), Hydrocotyle geranifolia (forest pennywort) and gar- den grown Calothamnus quadrefidus (WA), Prostanthera lasianthos (Christmas bush) and Melaleuca pulchella. Mr. Ian Morrison brought a growing green flowered slender leek orchid— Prasophyllum gracile from Tonimbuki. This differs from P. frenchii in having a distinctly stalked ovary. Mr. D. McInnes exhibited a marine spider like Pycnogonida showing a promi- nent proboscis on front, very little evi- dence of a body, 8 long legs with appar- ently branches of the intestine going down each leg. He also showed a microscope tube from Russia, and appealed for any un- used club microscopes that the owners would sell, as there is a demand for them. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 F.N.C.V. DIARY OF COMING EVENTS GENERAL MEETINGS Monday, 13 January—Members’ Night. Organized—Mr. E. Hanks. 1. Minutes, Reports, Amendments. 2. Correspondence. 3. Subject for the evening—““Members’ Night”. 4 New Members Due to there being no F.N.C.V. Council Meeting during December, applicants for membership during this month, will be listed in the February Victorian Naturalist. 5. General Business. 6. Nature Notes and Exhibits. Monday, 10 February—“‘Echidnee”. Dr. E. M. H. Ealey. GROUP MEETINGS 8 p.m. at National Herbarium unless otherwise stated. Wednesday, 15 January—Microscopical Group. Friday, 31 January—Junior meeting at Hawthorn Town Hall at 8 p.m. Monday, 3 February—Marine Biology and Entomology Group meeting in Mr. Strong’s rooms in Parliament House at 8 p.m. Wednesday, 5 February—Geology Group. Thursday, 6 February—Mammal Survey Group. Friday, 7 February—Junior meeting at Rechabite Hall, 251 High Street, Preston at 8 p.m. Thursday, 13 February—Botany Group. F.N.C.V. EXCURSIONS Sunday, 18 January—Tooronga Falls. The coach leaves Batman Avenue at 9.30 a.m.; fare $2.00. Bring two meals. The La Trobe Valley F.N.C. invite members to join them in a camp out at Dargo High Plains on 25 and 26 January, 1969. Transport is by private car, all necessi- ties to be taken, and although there is a pleasant stream at Laubeys Plain where we shall camp, it would be wise to carry drinking water. Some members will travel on Friday, 24 January. Take the road via Fern- bank. Laubeys Plain is beyond Treasures Homestead as one travels from Gipps- land. Treasures is the only house on the high plains and following the road past it the camp area will be near the stream, probably on the left. 29 August-21 September 1969—It is hoped to have an excursion to Western Australia at this time if sufficient members are interested. The party would leave by train Friday evening and arrive in Perth on Monday morning. A coach would be chartered and the party would travel to the Geraldton area for 2 few days, then south to Albany across to Busselton and back to Perth to catch the return train on Thursday arriving back in Melbourne on Sunday 21 September, 1969. Accommodation would be on a Dinner, bed and breakfast basis and members would be responsible for their own lunches. The cost would depend upon the number going but should not exceed $260.00 for train, coach and accommoda- tion. As this trip will be dependent upon enough members wanting to go, those interested should notify the excursion secretary as soon as possible. January, 1969 27 Field Naturalists Club of Victoria Established 1889 OBJECTS: To stimulate interest in natural history and to preserve and protect Australian fauna and flora. Patron: His Excellency Major-General SIR ROHAN DELACOMBE, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O. Key Office-Bearers, 1968/69 President: Me. E. R. ALLAN Vice-Presidents: MR. JEFFS, MR. T. SAULT Hon. Secretary: Mr. D. LEE, 15 Springvale Road, Springvale (546 7724). Hon. Treasurer: Mr. D. E. McINNEs, 129 Waverley Road, East Malvern, 3145 (2112427) Hon. Editor: Mr. G. M. Warp, 54 St. James Road, Heidelberg, 3084. Hon. Librarian: Mr. P. KELLY, c/o National Herbarium, The Domain, South Yarra, 3141. Hon, Excursion Secretary: Miss M. ALLENDER, 19 Hawthorn Avenue, Caulfield 3161. Subscription Secretary: Mrs. N. E. Lewis, 1 Billing Street, Springvale 3171. (546 4649).) Sales Officer: Mr. B. FUHRER, c/o National Herbarium, The Domain, Sth. Yarra. Group Secretaries: Botany: Miss M. BUTCHART, 23 Loch Street, Hawthorn East 3123 (82 1616). Geology: Mr. T. SAULT, 9 The Avenue, West Rosebud. Microscopical: Mr. M. H. MEYER, 36 Milroy Street, East Brighton (96 3268). Mammal Survey: Mr. P. HoMaANn, 40 Howard Street, Reservoir 3073 Entomology and Marine Biology: Mr. J. W. H. STRONG, Legislative Council, Parliament House. Melbourne 3002. MEMBERSHIP Membership of the F.N.C.V. is open to any person interested in natural history. The Victorian Naturalist is distributed free to all members, the club’s reference and lending library is available, and other activities are indicated in reports set out in the several preceding pages of this magazine. Rates of Subscriptions for 1969 Ordinary Members .. Aig a a oa tits ue Eve Be Se ee 7 $7.00 Country Members .. she Loy es ao sale ay Sg, a i se