JUNE, 1928

, Vv/

'NEW SERIES
VOL. II—NO. 4

THE TASMANIAN

NATURALIST

The Journal of the

Tasmanian Field Naturalists’ Club

CONTENTS.

(Each Author is solely responsible (or the opinions and facts recorded in his
article. The Club merely places them on record.)

Page

The Tasmanian Field Naturalists’ Club .. .. .. 1

Tasmanian Natural History, by Dr. W. L. Crowther,

D.S.O., M.B.2

The Birds of Tasmania, by Clive E. Lord, F.L.S. .. 6

Autumn by the Plains, by Mrs. E. H. Linton . - 10

Nature Study in Schools, by G. W. Knight .. .. .. 16

PRICE: SIXPENCE.

HOBART

Printed by Cox Kay Pty. Ltd. Collins Street.

The Tasmanian Field Naturalists’ Club

The Tasmanian Museum, Hobart

OFFICE-BEARERS, 1927-28.

Chairman:

DR. W. L. CROWTHER, D.S.O., M.B.

V ice-Chairman:

MR. A. N. LEWIS, M.C., LL.M.

Hon. Secretary:

MR. CLIVE LORD, F.L.S.

Hon. Assistant Secretary: ■

MR. J. C. BREADEN.

Hon. Treasurer:

MR. G. B. DAVIES.

Committee:

MESSRS. L. RODWAY. C.M.G., G. L. PROPSTING, CYRIL TAYLOR,
A. R. REID, NORMAN WALKER (with Chairman, etc., ex officio).

Hon. Lantemist:

MR. G. B. DAVIES.

Hon. Auditor:

MR. C. W. ROBERTS.

tla h-E-d-i/’ e> y-
for C{ J'Af/or

NOTE.—Members are requested to bring Specimens for Exhibition at
the Meetings, which are held in the Royal Society’s rooms, The Tasmanian
Museum.

This Club was fonnded in 1904 to bring lovers of Nature together, and
widen the knowledge of Tasmanian Natural History.

Subscriptions are due on the 30th September, and are:—10/- Ordinary
Members, 2/6 Junior Members. This includes copy of the Club’s Journal.

)t {EaStnanian Jlaturaltst

New Series—Vol. II., No. 4.

June, 1928.

The Tasmanian Field Naturalists’ Club

Since the last issue of “The Tasmanian Naturalist” there
have been several meetings of the Club, and the attendance has
been very satisfactory.

*****

The Easter Camp was held at the Meredith River, East
Coast, and was a most successful fixture. A Special Camp Re¬
port will be issued as usual.

*****

Colonel W. W. Giblin, M.R.C.S., has returned from his
expedition to the Great Barrier Reef. He kindly delivered an
illustrated lecture at the May meeting, and his remarks were
enjoyed by a large audience.

/ * * * * *

Mr. A. N. Lewis has resigned as the Club’s representative
on the National Park Board, and Mr. Cyril Taylor has been
appointed in Mr. Lewis’ place. The Club desires to place on
record its appreciation of the work done by Mr. Lewis whilst
acting as its representative on the Board.

*****

Mr. Clive Lord, who has been hon. secretary of this Club
since 1911, has been elected vice-president of the Royal Austra¬
lasian Ornithologists’ Union.

*****

The Club has for years been endeavouring to obtain better
protection for our native fauna and the wholesale destruction
of our marsupials which has taken place during the past five
seasons has aroused public opinion upon the matter, and there
is every reason to hope for a more enlightened policy in the
future.

2

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

Tasmanian Natural History

Some Interesting Aspects
By Dr. W. L. Crowther, D.S.O., M.B.

Our Society has within the last year reached its 2Tst anni¬
versary, and has, of course, “come of age.” An examination of
its membership roll shows that many who joined at its incep¬
tion are still actively working as members of the executive.

There must come a time, however, to every corporate body
when it must look to a new set of nanie^ to manage its affairs
and to contribute to its output of useful work. In our Club we
are looking towards our junior members and to schoolboys in
any part of Tasmania, who may find interest in nature and its
study. It is to such hoys and girls that I dedicate this brief
article on what may he found on our bush and hills or upon the
shores of our bays and rivers.

Tasmania lies remote from old world centres and old world
cultures, but it teems with interest to those who have eyes to see
and ears to hear. In its small area are plants and animals rep¬
resented by living forms found nowhere else in the world.
There, too, may come an occasional visitor from the remote
South, as witness the extraordinary coincidence of Captain
Furneaux capturing and describing the rare crested Penguin
during his brief stay in Adventure Bay (1788). Perhaps it was
the only one of its type ever there. It is of interest to note here
that three of the same type of Penguin have been reported on
our East Coast during the last two years, at St. Helen’s, Eagle-
liawk Neck and Okehampton. The latter was handled and
photographed by the Writer. Though immature, it was much
larger than our own small Penguins, and with its yellow crest,
dull red of its eyes and red beak, it was a very handsome bird.
It would be of great interest to know from which of the Sub-
Antarctic islands it had worked its way so far North.

Such mammals as the Sea Leopard, Sea Lion and several
varieties of Whales still frequently come to the estuaries and
Coast. In January, 1927, a Sea Lion worked its way down the
East Coast, and was eventually killed at Wedge Bay. Surely
such visitors might be protected, as they give untold pleasure to
those who wish to observe them, and they do no harm.

Between Hobart and the Derwent Light in the late summer
and autumn may be seen large flocks of the Mutton Bird. Few'
children who see them know of the wonderful breeding habits
of this sooty Petrel, and those who visit the rookeries at the

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST

3

Furneaux Group, the Actaeons, etc., will he richly rewarded.
At a given time, almost to tlie day, the flocks appear in thou¬
sands. Just at dusk the birds commence to arrive from the sea,
until the air is dark with them, and, wheeling around, drop
into their burrows. In the latter a great clearing out takes
place, and the birds pair off. At dawn away they go to sea, re¬
turning again at dusk; but when the burrows are cleaned they
Stay at sea for some weeks, and then come in and lay. After the
incubation the young are fed until they grow r to be the large
greasy squab-like birds seen in shops. At this stage the parent
birds go off to sea, leaving them to live on their fat.

Now one of two things may happen, either the “birders”
arrive to clear out the rookeries for commercial purposes, or
gradually exhausting their fat, the young become sufficiently
matured, and, driven by hunger find their way to the water, and
join the adult birds. Their movements until the next spring
are quite unknown. In February, 1927, Mr. A. \V. Legge and
myself saw from Sandy Cape, on the West Coast, a continual
stream of these birds flying north into a hard gale. Their num¬
bers w r ere so immense as to amaze us.

A visit to Flinders Island is a glorious experience, and
there, in addition to this remarkable bird, one may see the
Cape Barron Goose, now completely protected, and innumerable
other species, and the miserable remnant of our fur bearing
seals, once existing in tens of thousands in the Straits.

Leaving the Coast the inland birds are of the greatest in¬
terest, but 1 leave cosideration of them to those who have made
of them their particular study. I would urge, however, all to
join the Gould League of Bird Observers.

How many know of the Anaspides—the Tasmanian Moun¬
tain Shrimp? First noted by Mr. L. Rodway, C.M.G., the lead¬
ing spirit of our Club, in the streams of Mount Wellington.
This sometimes is as much as two inches in length, of a dark
brown colour , and walks about on the stones and among the
weeds at the bottom of the pools. It rarely swims, but dives for¬
ward by flicking its tail. Slight variants of this animal
are found in the Great Lake and in Victorian streams. Other¬
wise it is recognised only in fossil forms of the carboniferous
period, and has no living prototype.

Again, the Giant Freshwater Lobster, of Tasmania
(Aatacopsis franklinii) is the largest in the world, and quite
a distinct specimen from the small fresh water lobster found in
the streams of Southern Tasmania. It may grow to nearly two
feet in length, and weigh 8 or 9 pounds. It is found in small

4

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

muddy pools, and is of a dark green colour; it is smothered with
a parasitic flat worm. The boys of our North-Western and
North-Eastern schools must know them well, but do they realise
that it is found only in the streams of Northern Tasmania
and in a few streams in Gippsland, and nowhere else in the
world.

Of Botany I know so little that I shall mention only one in¬
stance, the Fagus Gunni (Deciduous Beech). This in found only
on the Western Mountain, and sheds its leaves each autumn, and
puts forth new foliage each spring—the only native Tasmanian
tree to do so. I believe its prototype has been found in South
America. The Huon Pine, with its enduring, wonderful timber
and its slow growth, taking, it is believed, some hundreds of
years to reach the massive size when it is felled for commerce,
is saved only from practical extermination by the inaccessibility
of its habitat. Man is the enemy of our forest country. Some
destruction is inevitable when forest land is cleared for cultiva¬
tion, but the damage that is most irreparable is done by the
bush fires. An instance was the holocaust on Mount Wellington,
when its S.W. aspect was swept clean some 25 years ago. The
rarer forms of plant and fern life in the sheltered gullies will
possibly never come back after such a fire. One thing every
good Tasmanian can do is to insist that care he taken against
bush fires, and deliberate ofi’enders brought to justice.

Luckily one can still find remains of the Stone Culture of
the extinct Tasmanian natives. A few lucky youngsters may yet
find caves that they have occupied, and in them their stone im¬
plements. They are of bluish grey or fawn coloured chert, or
white quartzite, or even split pebbles. Sometimes just a piece
of fractured stone, hut more often showing well marked
chipping along the edge. Look for them in the ploughed
fields in districts the natives frequented. Find a slope with an
aspect towards the sun, with water near, good game country,
and a good outlook from a surprise attack, and there you will
almost certainly find their flints. Sand blows, where the sur¬
face has been blown away, give much the best material. Im¬
plements of all kinds, clippings, anvil stones, charcoal, red
ochre, and even bones of their feasts may be found on the under¬
lying hard clay “pans ” The extent of the sand blows from
Mount Cameron to far south of Sandy Cape, on the West Coast,
have to be seen lo be believed. They simply cover acres of
ground, implements (mostly rough) are there in thousands, and
matted piles of shells, charcoal and bones (seals, whales, etc.)
are found in the more favoured spots. Sand blows, too, are
found inland, around Tunbridge and Grimes Lagoon, and they
yield much interesting material. Moreover, wherever boys of

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

5

country schools may he, on ploughed fields, the best of worked
specimens may often be found. Such should be treated
reverently as the highest expression of the culture of one of our
extinct races. The writer of these notes will feel that they have
been of some service if they arc instrumental in ever so slight
a degree, in turning the thoughts of young Tasmanians towards
their own heritage, with its wonderful manifestations. Each
school should have its Museum, and some one to encourage
those who may show interest, and demonstrate to all the speci¬
mens that they bring to it.

Mussels and Oysters

It will be remembered that on several occasions at Club
meetings I have asked members to pay attention to the old
aboriginal kitchen middens, owing to some of these showing
alternate layers of Oyster and Mussel shells. From this it would
appear at first sight that there was some evidence that these
species increased and decreased in alternating periods. Further
confirmation has been given to this view owing to the great
decrease of oysters in Tasmanian waters over half a century
ago. For years there has been a great quantity of mussels in
many localities, but these in the last few years have certainly
decreased in some places, and we know that the oysters are
increasing, particularly in New Zealand or ‘‘Black Oyster,”
which has been introduced in Ralph’s Bay and other places.

In view of the foregoing, it is of interest to note that in the
last annual report of the Fisheries Department of New South
Wales it is reported that in Middle Harbour (Sydney) the
growth of mussels was increasing to such an extent that they
will soon completely oust the oyster growth. Considerable
data is needed before any definite conclusions can be reached,
and members of the Club can assist in this matter, as any
observations will be welcomed.

C.L.

6

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

The Birds of Tasmania

The following descriptive list of our native birds has been
compiled with the object of assisting the junior members in
particular. It embraces the most recent scientific nomenclature
as adopted by the Royal Australasian Ornothologists' Union,
and gives an outline of the classification of the class. The main
characteristics of each sub-class, order, family and genus are
given briefly as possible, in addition to the vernacular and
scientific name, the reference to the first record and an outline
description of each species.

Clive Lord, 1/6/1928.

BIRDS.

Class AVES (Latin avis , a Bird).

Birds are feathered vertebrates, possessing two wings, two
legs, a tail and a horny beak. In Tasmania the topographical
features of the island affect to a considerable degree the distri¬
bution of the avifauna. Three sub-classes occur, of which the
first (Emus) is now extinct in Tasmania.

Ostrich-like Birds.

Sub-class 1 DROM.AEONITHES .

Swift running birds of large size and elongated necks.
Flightless. Differing in many ways from the Ostriches of
Africa and the Rheas of S. America, which birds form separate
sub-classes.

Emus.

Order CASURIIFORMES.

This order embraces the Emus and Cassowaries. Casso¬
waries never occurred in Tasmania, and Emus are now extinct
in the island.

Emus.

Family DR0MA1IDAE .

Large flightless birds peculiar to the Australian region.
Feathers of peculiar form. Hind toe absent.

Genus DROMAIUS (Greek dromein , to run).

Ex. 1. EMU, DROMAIUS NOVAE HOLLANDIAE (New
Holland-Australia), Latham (Index Orn. 1790).

Tasmanian form D. nh . diemensis , Le Soeuf, Bull B.O.C.
(1907) (of V.D.L., Tasmania).

The Emu has been extinct in Tasmania since about 1850.
There are two skins in the British Museum, and possibly some
in the European Museums.

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

7

Ex. 2. KING ISLAND EMU, DROMAIUS MINOR (L.
minor , smaller), Spencer (Vic. Nat. 1906).

This species has been extinct for many years, and very little
is known concerning it, although it was fairly plentiful in the
early days of last century.

Penguins.

Sub-class 2 IMPENNES (L. impennis , without wings).

Swift swimming birds of varied size. Flightless. Confined
to Antarctic and Southern Oceans. (Note—Penguins at
Galapagos Islands.)

Penguins.

Order SPIIENISCIFORMES.

This order is represented in Tasmania by one resident
species (E. minor) and several visiting forms.

• Penguins.

Family SPHENISCIDAE (G. speniscos , little wedge).

Penguins are marine flightless birds inhabiting the
Southern Ocean. Certain smaller species breed in the Austra¬
lian zone, but the larger forms are only occasional visitors from
the Antarctic.

Genus APTENODYTES (G. apten , wingless).

Penguins of large size, no crest. Bill slender and as long as
head. Tail composed of 20 feathers.

1. KING PENGUIN, APTENODYTES PATAGONICA
(of Patagonia) Miller (1778). Tasmanian form A.p.halli ,
Mathews, Birds of Aust. 1. 272 (1911). Above bluish grey.
Head and cheeks hlack, neck yellow, under white, height
950 mm. Range, Sub-Antarctic regions. Egg 1, white. There
is one authentic record (Maria Island) of this bird from Tas¬
mania, but there are in addition three verbal descriptions which
undoubtedly relate to this species (Eaglehawk Neck, Adventure
Bay. Cox’s Bight).

Genus PYGOSCELIS (G. pype, tail; scelos , leg).

Size medium, bill stout, tail long, 12-16 feathers.

2. ROCK-HOPPER PENGUIN (GENTOO) PYGOS¬
CELIS PAPUA , Forster (Comm. Gott. 1781) (Lo manchot
Papon , Sonnerat, Voy. N. Guin, 1776). An occasional visitor to
Tasmania. Can be distinguished by the white band which com¬
mences above the eye and extends backwards across the crown.
Flippers margined with white. Length 600 mm. Range,
Southern Seas. Egg 1, white.

(To be Continued.)

8

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

The Introduced Trout

Considerable confusion exists, even among anglers, in Tas¬
mania concerning the main specific differences which serve to
distinguish the several species of the SALMON ID AE which
have been introduced into the island. Making due allowance
for the various minor changes which are to be met with owing
to the effect of local environment, the following outline key may
be found to be of service.

Family SALMONIDAE .

Active fishes with large mouths and strong teeth. Usually
silvery when in the sea. A single dorsal fin, plus a small adipose
fin. Pectoral fins low down on side of body.

Outline to Key of Genera.

8—12 rays in anal fin. Spots on side above

lateral line black.. .. .. .. Salmo

12—17 rays in anal fin .. .. . . . . Onchorhynclius

8—12 rays in anal fin. Teeth on raised head
of Vomer only. Spots on side, red or
blue .. .. .. .. .. Salvelinus

Outline Key to Species.

SALMO SALAR , the Salmon (and its varieties).

Black spots on side X or XX shaped. 11-12 scales from
adipose fin to lateral line. Teeth in centre of roof of mouth,
few and deciduous. Scales along lateral line 120.

SALMO TRUTTA. The Trout (and its varieties).

(Such species as Salmo fario, Salmo laevensis, and Salmo
cry ox are now considered synonymous with Salmo trutta).

14-16 scales from the adipose fin to the lateral line. Colour,
silvery, back dark. Red spots on and below lateral line, black
spots above.

SALMO IRIDEUS. Rainbow Trout

Black spots on side, not X shaped. Teeth in centre of roof
of mouth persistent. Red band on side. Tail spotted.

ONCHORHYNCHUS NERKA. Red Salmon.

Body rather slender. Caudal fin much forked. Colour
above bright blue, sides shiny, no spots. Scales very small.
Scales along lateral line 210-240. Gillrakers short, 28 (13

above). Anal rays 14 (average).

Often referred to in the vernacular as the “Sock-eye”
salmon, but this is an error due to the corruption of the Ameri¬
can Indian term “Sukkeh,” meaning red.

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

9

ONCHORNYNCHUS QUINN AT. Quinnat Salmon (quin-
natt, shining).

Colour above dusky, sometimes bluish or greenish tinge.
Sides and under silvery. Head dark, with metallic lustre.
Above lateral line, dorsal and caudal fins with numerous round
black spots. Scales long, 135-155. Gillrakcrs short, 23 (9 on
top). Rays in anal 16 (average).

SALVERLINUS FONTINALIS . The Char or American
Brook Trout.

A smaller species than the foregoing. The spots on the
sides, both above and below lateral line, are red. The name
“Char” may be traced to the Gaelic “Ceara,” meaning red. The
Chars are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, and
S. Fontinalis is one species of the Salmonidae which has been
introduced into Tasmania.

C.L.

Plovers are typical representatives of the order Chara-
driformes, or Wading Birds. The two resident species of
Plover in Tasmania are the Spur-winged (Lobibyx nova;
hollandice) and the Black-breasted (Zonifer tricolor). The
latter is slightly smaller than the former, and can be distin¬
guished immediately by the black band on the breast. Within
recent years Plovers have increased in a marked manner in
Tasmania. This is due to two causes. First, they have been
totally protected by law, and it is an offence under the Animals
and Birds Protection Act to destroy Plovers or take their eggs.
Secondly, the agriculturalist has become more aware of the
birds’ economic worth, and affords the birds protection. One
of the main characteristics of the plover is its habit of feeding

10

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

on land snails. This snail serves as the home of the Liver
Fluke (which is so destructive to sheep) during part of its life,
and therefore the more plover the less water snails, with a
corresponding falling off in liver fluke and an increased return
to the farmer.

The L iver Fluke (Distomum hepaticum) has a complicated
life history. Commencing with the ovum or egg stage, incuba¬
tion takes from three to six weeks in the summer. The minute
embryo, when it emerges, is covered with small hairs (cilia).
It is necessary for the embryo to obtain the shelter of a host
within thirty hours, or it dies. It therefore seeks out a water
snail, and bores into it by means of a curious boring porcess at
the anterior end or hase of its elongated triangular form. With¬
in the mantle of the water snail several changes take place, and
eventually numerous tadpole-like forms emerge from the snail
and spend some time as free living forms in damp situations.
They anchor themselves by their tails to blades of grass, and
are thus transferred to the stomach of the sheep. Here further
changes take place, and the immature fluke in its final form is
released, and enters first the duodenum and then the liver,
where it grows, and produces countless numbers of eggs, which
are shed far and Wide by the sheep, which animals in some
localities, particularly in wet seasons, suffer severely from fluke.
On purely economic grounds alone there is every reason for
the protection of the Plover in Tasmania, and what has been
proved in the case of the Plover is also true of many other of
our native birds. The more our bride are studied the more we
learn of their value in the great scheme of Nature, and with
wider knowledge will come wider protection for many species.

C.L.

Autumn by the Plains

By Mrs. E. H. Linton, Springfield, N.E. Tas.

The mild, bright days of early autumn are nowhere plea¬
santer than among the spurs and foothills that intersect the
Plains. The warm sunlight genially transforms the long belts
ol dark-lined trees to inviting groves; the ripening berries and
seeds ol grass and herbs are a summons to innumerable birds.
These, flitting and calling or warbling in the soft undertones of
autumn songs, provide life, of animated movements and sound,
to the pleasant open scene.

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

11

Now is more apparent the presence of other animate life!
Wombat and wallaby feed openly in the wild meads, or bask on
warm slopes; little wild mice venture boldly from covered run¬
ways and dart over the ground or rustle between the drifts of
dry leaves. The marsupial mice, bunting their insect prey, take
little heed of a quiet and solitary observer. At all times they
are more oblivious or pre-occupied than the seed-eating
Muridae. The bright eyes of the latter are alert for any strange
presence or movement, the mere suspicion of which sends them
with a jump and long leaps to any cover, although soon they
emerge and hunt busily for the ripe seed-head or opening
capsule, or it may be for the crumbs or other goodies which
drop near their haunts. The small pouched mice shed their
seeming indifference if anything of the kind comes their way,
and very quickly show an eager and confident expectancy
which other little creatures are slow to manifest. Amongst the
stones and weather-worn rubble on a slight elevation, my friend
Sminthropsis has his unlawfully-acquired dwelling, which is
being re-furnished and touched-up in readiness for six small
tailless babies. As yet the tiny mice are affixed firmly (mouse
fashion) to their mother, and are scarcely visible between the
pouch openings, for, as in the case with the larger Dasuridae,
the pouch-young are not deposited in the nesting chamber
until late in autumn or early winter. But then, when so de¬
posited, the mother apparently retires with them, becoming
torpid, and only occasionally releasing herself from their per¬
sistent attentions, or adherence, to find food or to attend to
their necessities.

As yet they are only very lightly clad on the upper surface
with exceedingly short and very fine hair. Beneath they appear
to he naked, but not unblushingly so. As there is a rosy flush
on the small bodies, that may he due to embarrassment. Until
the snow-white hair thickly clothes the under parts, the
mother carries them on her hack, a phalangeristic method of
transportation not often resorted to by their larger congeners,
the Phascogales. It appears that Mr. Sminthropsis is not allowed
now inside the nest-chamber; the tables are turned since he
would not allow Mrs. Sminthropsis to even look outside. Some¬
times he is hustled and hurried ignominiously out of the
general dwelling. Mrs. Sminthropsis is presuming on his lately
acquired meekness, and she is not even gracious when he returns
carrying a large grasshopper, hut snatches it rudely and whisks
inside. The poor little gentleman rather forlornly makes his
careful toilet. Sitting lonely on the roof, he cheerfully runs
over to his human friend to see what there may he for him, and
takes it, hut not for himself; hut it is borne to the importunate
housekeeper.

12

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

Farther back on the Plains on the sunny slope of a higher
elevation, and also among stones, is the dwelling of the Long¬
tailed Rat (Pseudomys higgitisi), who perhaps is the architect
and mechanic of the castle now held by the small brigand,
Sminthropsis . The latter's nest, when built by his own hands,
is a very different affair to that fashioned by Pseudomys , whose
sagacious and skilful engineering we have watched with much
admiration. He is so painstaking and resourceful, especially
over the removal or transference of stones. If they arc in the
way he burrows or scrapes nearby, until the stone slides, or
rolls, or is pushed into the depression. Small stones, if loose,
are scratched or shouldered away, or if near the entrance are
arranged on the edge of the orifice, perhaps to prevent its
breaking down, or the loose earth from falling in. Larger
ones, which he uses to give stability to the rustic-work are built
up to stay the spreading of the roof. He carries them between
chin and chest and forelegs, either pushing laboriously forward
or slewing round, proceeding backward as the jumping ant does.
And more than once, when struggling with an awkwardly round
or smooth stone, we have seen the mouse drop the stone and
coil about it, clasping it with limbs and curved body. In this
hold, in which claws, digits and limbs all take part, they in¬
voluntarily revert lo the infantine habit of so clinging to the
mother? We have noticed it with the swamp rats when carrying
sticks. It seems the remembrance recurs to the little animals
when trying to convey a large substance into which its teeth
cannot penetrate. Instinctively, the limbs twine and the body
coils about it. Of course, in this position self-locomotion is not
possible, and, if the other mouse does not perceive the situation,
the struggling navigator, after some desperate rotary move¬
ments, abandons his hold and sits up with an amusingly be¬
wildered air. But if the mate sees the prostrate one, it races
over, and after trying to take the same attitude, or fussing
about for another hold, it, as an after thought, grips the recum¬
bent holder in the most convenient place, and summarily pro¬
ceeds to drag it and stone away. Sometimes it is by the tail,
sometimes by the skin of the neck, back, or limb that the tug
grapples. If pulled by the tail the lug proceeds backward with
little jerking pulls, but if by the neck he inarches eyes front,
with head upraised, as a cat with heavy game, the loaded one
bumping along between the wide-stepping forelegs. Occasion¬
ally an amusing altercation takes place if the grip is a painful
one; on a tender ear perhaps, or a too decided meeting of teeth
through a delicate surface. An expostulating squeak warns
him to release it and take a fresh hold on another part. If that
also is too tender the carried squeaks again, and may either kick
convulsively or, sitting up in a passion, retort in kind. Then if

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

13

the female is the rolling stock the conveyor bounds away; but if
it is she who has tried to drag her recumbent mate, a slight
passage of arms ensues; she is not going to run as if she was to
blame! and evidently she upbraids him for noticing such a
trifle as a mere nip! During that period he goes through a
hasty toilet operation, violently performed, until she departs.
But as a rule the martyred one stoically clings to the stone, and
endures the painful hold in uncomplaining silence.

These pretty and harmless little creatures sing and twitter
together in the same manner as the rats and mice in our walls,
when their family cares begin. They talk together and ex¬
change endearments such as always succeed to the scurryings
and frightened squeaks of Mus rnusculus and Rattus decumanus
in courtship. In the same way Mr. and Mrs. Pseudomys at slack
moments sit under cover outside, affectionately assisting each
other at their toilette, arid twitter incessant squeaky trills in
subdued key. The lady is as trustful and tame as is her little
spouse to their human friend. Both are very fond of a nice
plump raisin, and sit up most prettily on their haunches to eat,
holding it opossum fashion between their hands, and finish the
seeds and skill with great enjoyment.

The Long Tailed Rat (Mouse) harvests his winter stores
as do all our native Muridae by gathering heads of seeds and
berries to take to his winter domicile. A nest, unroofed by
some marauder, had a round chamber cosily lined for a nur¬
sery, and in various alleys were neat heaps of berries strangely
plump and unwithered: Cyathiodes , Aristotelia , Acacia and
Muenhelbeckia , a few capsules of the white-topped gum,
together with nearly a pint of pieces of “Native Bread”
(Polyporos mylitti) bitten and gnawed into roughly-shaped
cubes of half an inch or so in size. To procure these the little
harvesters must have travelled quite two hundred yards, as the
fungus was down in a creek hollow. There were also a few
tubers of Gastrodia sesamoides, still adhering to the roots on
which they had parasitically subsisted, neatly stacked, finger¬
like tubers, quite an inch through, and nearly three in length.
Seeing them we wondered had the mouse taken possession of
some other creature’s store. We do not know what animal other
than a wombat could dig out such long, firmly embedded roots,
and we do not think it stores them. To eat all as he finds is
Phascolomys’ way, whether it is roots or herbage, the Native
Bee’s nest, or the “Native Bread’s” root (sclerolinm). We
suspect the eroding and drilling of the striped bandicoot in its
search for larvae, may disclose these tubers to the mouse’s
benefit.

14

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

Leaving the open outskirts of the Plains we pass on, always
ascending until we reach that part of the hill where the stone
becomes shale. Every foot of ground here is tamiliar, and so is
the forest-filled gully below. In this locality we have
hunted for weeks, diligently exploring, and narrowly searching
for the various “horse-hair” fungus, of which Captain Lowther
told us. He found it on a Musk tree, and so we have intently
scanned every Olearia of various species wc have come across,
and all other likely trees too, for that matter, and have made
many most interesting finds, and, to us, new discoveries, but the
Mycocna is put down at last among the unfind aides, and we
surmise that some day when not hunting for it we shall stumble
on it. For in such fashion most of our discoveries are
accomplished. Many of them, too, until so found, were un-
knwn and unheard of by us, and they had to be des¬
patched to, or information obtained, from scientific friends.
The hill of shaley rock is thinly clothed with growths of plants
peculiar to such soil-formation, as they will grow here where
others fail, for there is not apparently much nutriment in the
soil, which is grey in colour, and poor and dusty. The rock
and broken stone are what the bush man calls “rotten.” It is
of splitting tendency, brittle in texture, light and thin, the “exo
skeleton” of stone, so to say, without its solidity of inner filling.
Perhaps it is an indication of oil below the surface, because
sometimes a scum, as of kerosene or petrol, gives to seeped
water that has collected a greasy iridescence that gleams pris-
matically on the dark surface.

Small slender rods of Horizontal arc here, the real
Aristoleleia pedunculatus 9 of the unspotted flowers, with large
black berries lull of purple juicy pulp. There are one or two
hushes ol a coprosma with light green crinkled leaves, having
waved margins and spine-pointed apices; having also bright
almost transparent red berries, large as a small morello. And
there are long, lank bushes of Zieria, the vernacular
appellation of which we utterly refuse to use, although
acknowledging its justice. By-thc-way, the pretty boronia-
shaped blossoms — w hich are dark purple on outside and of pale
lavender on the inner face of the petals. They have no appre¬
ciable perfume, except tow ards noon or when the sun has shone
hilly on them, when they have an agreable fragrance. In strong
distinction leaves, bark, wood and roots have, if touched or
stirred by w ind, a powerful and lasting odour. It is most un¬
pleasant, and it soon becomes overpowering. In these respects,
i.e., the flowers ol sweet but evavescent fragrance, and the
strong and horrible odour of all other parts, there is a resem-
hlance to some other shrubs exotics totally unallied, as Choisya ,
Meliantnus, Ii (ibrothuniuns* etc., etc.

...

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST. 15

There are a few of the species of White-topped Stringy-
bark, called Bastard Gum, and one or two R,ed-leafed gums
(Eucalyptus acervula), the reddish-brown bark and thin, shin¬
ing-surfaced leaves having a red light, or reflection, on the outer
masses of foliage in dark-liued contrast to the other gums.
Even more scattered, in scanty numbers, are the White Pepper¬
mints (E. linearis ), their young leaves glaucous, almost white,
with powdery bloom. How strange it is that these leaves that
are rank with the bitter essential oil, and most scarifying, if
bitten, to our lips and tongues, are the leaves preferred as food
above all others by the Phalangers? The Ringtail devours
such quantities that the odour permeates his flesh and mingles
most unpleasantly with his own furry and mossy animal odour;
the “Flving-’possum” also passes all others to eat these strongly
perfumed, burning-flavoured leaves, which apparently have no
more unpleasant effect than have the jitty berries of the
Drimys to the Jays.

And this brings us to another kind of mouse, for lower
down the slopes, where a water course nourishes fuller
vegetation, we found the Little Dormouse Phalanger (Dromicea
lepida), entering on his winter slumber, the hibernaculum
being merely a fissure, concealed by the bark in a weather¬
worn old Blackwood. We caught the gleam of fur tips standing
out like filaments of mould, and prised the bark back a little,
enough to see the surprised occupant who blinked his pro¬
minent eyes — such large and pretty eyes! as he gazed sleepily;
the large mouse-like ears moving and quivering enquiringly.

The offer of a piece of apple was met by a contemptuous
hiss as the little fellow curled himself more snugly and tightly,
seemingly oblivious to a gently stroking finger. We noticed the
tail was not incrassated, as in Dromicia nana , and that the head
was narrower, comparatively, although its smaller appearance
may have been caused by the immensely large ears. These ears
— so thinly covered with fine, short and whitish hairs as to
appear naked and pinkly transparent, have the appearance of
being too large, and the extra fulness pleated on to the base. In
coiling himself the Dormouse (of either kind) tucks in feet,
nose and tail, and so curls into a ball with all extremities de¬
fended. It is tightly wedged in narrow quarters that perhaps
help to preserve the vital heat that must dwell in his small
frame. Both sexes retire in this solitary winter seclusion into
exceedingly narrow cells. Quite different are the small and
at first shallow nests where Mrs. Dromicia deposits her small
brood when they can relinquish the teats. They are in evidence
before building begins, and so are born, we suppose, in winter,
as are most of the Marsupial infants.

i

16

THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

Nature Study in Schools

Practically everybody is more or less a lover of Nature in
some form or the other, as witness the crowds that flock to sea¬
side, mountain top, or shady gully whenever opportunity offers.
Those who cannot leave the home take delight in either growing
flowers or decorating their houses with them. Nevertheless this
inherent love of Nature is of a general character; there is
nothing specific about it. The sights and sounds of the hush,
the colour and scent of the flowers, habits and songs of the birds,
appeal to this inborn sense, and the person is quite content to
leave it at that. He does not bother to probe and delve into the
wonders that surround him, but accepts them as part of the
general scheme of things, without washing to trouble his mind
as to the reason for it all.

Now r one of the main objects of a Naturalists’ Club, I take
it, is to awaken such a keen desire to learn and observe natural
facts, that the learner will he glad to continue his enquiries
for the pure love of the tiling.

It is astonishing to notice the very keen interest that is
taken by the ordinary person when some student of Nature
study explains some of the wonders that surround us. Seeing
that the desire to learn is there, the amazing part of it is that so
little is actually done. In looking round for the reason for this
it is probably to he found in the immense diversity and scope
of enquiry that is open to us.

The beginner sees so much to do, so many things to take
his attention that he decides he has not time for any, thereby
depriving himself unwittingly of much enjoyment, and the
obtaining of no little knowdedge.

Teachers would do well to choose one particular subject,
rather than spread their energies over too wide a field. Shells,
insects, botany, geology, etc., present a wide choice, and having
selected one, say botany, which is so easy to obtain a first-hand
knowledge of, take a small part of that to specialise upon.
Take, for instance, the order Epacridaceae, of which Tasmania
has about sixteen genera, with many species. Taking the com¬
mon pink or white heath as guide, a close study should he made
of the flower, fruit, leaves anti branching habits. Several
varieties might be painted upon a loose-leaf album, with a des¬
cription of its growth, locality and date.

The object of each walk would be to continually add to
the members of this order until a fairly comprehensive know¬
ledge was obtained. Once started, the quest begins in earnest,
and long journeys are often undertaken to add even one speci¬
men to the collection.

(To be Continued.)

4 * ■ - <

• ✓