TasNat 1909 Vol2 No2 WholeIssue

7/30/2019 TasNat 1909 Vol2 No2 WholeIssue

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THE

(ttaH1nanhm ~ a t U l ' a l i 5 t= J ~ ~

THE JOeRNAL OF THETasmanian Field Naturalists' Club

VOL. II. OCTOBER, 1909. No. 2 .

Hnnual Report.

1.';'1' is with much pleasure that your Committee present the following_; Annual Report upon the proceedings of the Club during its fifth,.... year. The growth of the Club during the past year has beenphenomenal, no less than fifty-eight new members having joined; andthe revised roll shows the total membership to be 153. The number ofyoung members who have joined points to this position being of apermanent nature.

meetings.I t was decided to cont1l1ue the monthly meetings throughout thewinter, and accordingly twelve meetings were held during the past year.

They have been most successful; the subjects for discussion being ofusefulness and interest, and covering the most important branches ofnature study, and were at all times dealt with most ably by the lecturers.The attendance at the meetings shows an increase over previous years,on two occasions there were nearly 100 present. A concise resume ofthe meetings is given as follows :-

September Iotit, I90B. Annual Meeting. Total membership, 110Balance sheet showed deficit of 3 cs. 3d. Mr. L. Rodway gave aPresidential Address on 'Tasmanian Heaths,' which has been publishedin the Jllaturalist, pages 2-5 of the present volume.October Isth. Mr. A. L. Butler described a trip to Moulting:

Lagoon, East Coast, dealing with the water birds met with.November I2tlt. Mr. Robert Hall spoke on 'Birds and Fishes in

Comparison,' and drew attention to the many features in commonbetween birds and fish, and their habits, &c.December Iotlt. Mr. Robert Hall gave an interesting discourse onBird-life in Australia, speaking largely upon its distribution.


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22 THE TAS!'IIANIAN NATURALIST

February 4th. Dr. F. Noetling gave an able lecture on the subjectof Earthquakes. He described the different kinds of earthquakes, theirmovements and centres of most frequent occurrence, mention wasparticularly made of the disastrous one at ~ I e s s i n a in Sicily.

February I8tll. Messrs. C. E. Lord and E. A Elliott spoke onsome Tasmanian Birds, illustrating their remarks with a number oflantern slides from photos of their own taking.

lI;Jarch I8th. :\h. J. H. Gould gave an exhaustive description ofthe Flower, clearly setting forth its evolution and mentioning the detailof several typical flowers.

April Isth. ~ 1 r . L. Rodway reported on the plants met with duringthe Easter Camp-out at Freycinet Peninsula, and NIr. Robert Hall uponthe birds noted then. Specimens collected at the camp were exhibited.

lIIay 6th. An enthusiastic meeting was held re Camp. Lanternslides of camp-scenes were shown by the Secretary, and others ofEast Coast scenery, taken by :\Ir. J. W. Beattie, were explained by theChairman.

JU1Ie Jrd. ~ I r . T. Thompson Flynn gave an interesting lecture onthe invertebrate life of Freycinet Peninsula, illustrated with numeroussketches on the black-board.

July 7th. Conversazione, Dr. Noetling, :VIessrs. R. Hall, A. D.Mackay and L. Rodway spoke on specimens exhibited.August I2th. 1\[r. A. L. Butler described a number of excellent

lantern slides from photos taken by Mr. A. H. E. l\Iattingley, ofMelbourne.The exhibitions of specimens have been good, but these might bebetter and thereby add to the interest of the meetings. I t is also desired

that more members assist in this part of the Club's work. The list givenbelow of members who have exhibited, and specimens shown, is ascomplete as possible, but members are again requested to supply theSecretary with notes of their exhibits for record.

ANTHOl\ Y, E. S.-Photo of Mrs. Fanny Smith (last of Tasmanianaborigines) and basket and bag made by her in native fashion. ATKINS,W. N.-Collection of eggs of English birds. BRE:'oIT, A. E.-BlackDuck, Brown Hawks, 111. and f. BUTLER, A. L.-Photos of DuskyRobin's nest and of Native hen's nest. D'EMDE:'oI, T.-African watersnakes. ELLIOTT, E. A.-Eggs of black swan, shining fly-catcher withnest and eggs, pen-rack made from feet of wedge-tailed eagle,- sparrowhawk, green parrakeet and kestrel. FLYNN, T. THOMPSON-Youngmegapode. GIBLIN, H.-Spirifer fossil. GODLD, H. J . -Tulip leafgrowing through cork. HALL, ROBERT-Trumpet fish, polyzoa, tunicates,and numerous birds and birds' nests. KEIUIODE, MISS D.-Collectionof New Zealand ferns. LEA, A. M.-Collections of stigmodera beetles,e1aterida: or 'click' beetles, Tasmanian butterflies, also tiger beetles,carbolic acid beetle, whip snake, &c. LORD, C. E.-Nest of strong-billed


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THE T . - \ . S : ' l A ~ L \ ' N NATURALlSTground thrush, young goshawk. :'IACKAY, A. D.-Varieties of granitefrom Wineglass Bay, general geological specimens. NOETLI:\C, Dr. F . -Specimen of lava. OLmIEADOW, J.-Butterfly mimicking dead leaf.ROBERTS, MRS. H L.-Photos of Tasmanian tigers and devils. RO])EY,MISS E. J.-Collection of shells from Wineglass Bay. Ro])\v.w, L . -Photos of 'native bread' fungus in flower and fruit, caterpillar fungus,flower spike of olearia stellulata, fern hymenophyllum marginatum, KingWilliam pines, sponges, &c. SWINDELLS, A. W.-Crocodile eggs.WALCH, :'1rss .1. C.-Eggs of nurse shark. WALCH, .1 As.-Elephant t1sh.

excursions.As a Society for furthering the study of Geld observatIOns, the

Committee regret that the excursions lnve not been as frequent noras largely attended as desired, but hope to do more in this respectduring the coming year, when arrangements will be made to include atleast two dredging trips in the syllabus. Illness of the leaders or theirunavoidable absence from town prevented two excursions from being heldbut the following is a record of those which took place ;-

September I2tlt. Botanical to Cascades with :'IIr. L. Rodway asleader; fair collecting done but heavy rain came 0.1 during afternoon.

October 24th. Botanical and Ornithological to :'Iount Nelson.Leaders, Messrs. L. Rodway and C. E. Lord. A well attended andsuccessful outing.JVovember I4th. Botanical Gardens. Leaders, Messrs. Robt. Hall

and L. Rodway. A profitable afternoon was spent by many whoattended.

February 20th. Shore-life to Bellerive. Leader,}Ir. Robt. Hall.Much interesting material was obtained.

A:larch 6th; General collecting to Risdon. A fternoon spoiled byheavy rain.April 24th. Held in :''luseum. Leader, 11r. Robt. Hall. ~ I u c hvaluable information was given by the leader on general matters.

Camp-out.A noteworthy part of the Club's work during the past year was

the Easter Camp-out. No less than 85 persons (including 25 ladies)were present at this camp, which was held on Freycinet Peninsulaand was a complete success, but as a separate illustrated report has beenissued on this camp no further mention need be made here. We, however, wish to record our appreciation of the treatment given us by :'Iessrs.Holyman & Sons, from whom the steamer' Koonookarra ' was charteredfor the trip.


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24 THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

Journal.In F e ~ J r u a r y of this year your Committee recommenced issuing the

Tasma7lt"all liTaturalist, when an excellent number was brought out,and with which members were well pleased. The present numbercontains more valuable articles, and there appears to be every probabilityof the nature of the journal being maintained. This is also in part dueto a change of printers and our present arrangements are mostsatisfactory.

1inanct.The present year began with a debit balance of 3 os. 3d., but

not only has this been cleared off but there is at present a creditbalance of 1 17s. I Id., with no outstanding liabilities. Therefore, inevery respect, the past year has been highly successful.

STATEMENT of Receipts and ExpenditureFor the Year ending 30th September. 1909.

RECEIPTS. EXPENDlTCRE.Balance brought forward .. . 1 19 9 Stationery, Postage, andSubscriptions paid in advance Stamps ... 3 17 10for ensu ing e a ~ 19119-lU .. .Subscriptions year 1905-9 .. .

Ditto ArrearsDonations Printing Fund ...Sale of Publications ...Advertising in JournalContribution towards cost ofHiring Motor LaunchSurplu, re Easter Camp-ollt

0 726 5

2 17o 172 19(I 20114 4

6066(I663

40 4 6

Rent of Room 4 17 6P r i n ~ i l 1 g 15 3 3Ach-ertising ... 7 16 6Hire of Motor Launch 1 5 ()Refund of I,oan 5 (I 0Cartage (I 6 6----

3S 6 7Credit Balance 1 17 11-----

40 4 6Audited and found correct,

R. A. BLACK,Hon. Treasurer. T. C. S I M P S O ~ " .F. L. BROWNELL ) Auditors.


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THE TASl\L\NIAN NATURALI:-iT.

TREASURER'S REPORT to STATEMENT.I have the honour to furnish l1l)4 Report Cor the year 1908-9 :--The

transactions as compared with those of the previolls year have beengreater by IS 4S. 6d. ])uring that year, owing to the Calling off ofthe revenue, appeals had to be made to mem Iler, for donations tothe Printing Fund, but e\'en then the respollses which amounted to 4 J Ss. 6d., ,rere insufficient to meet all liabilities. This year I ampleased to say we bave not only overtaken the liabilities of the Club,including the return of a loan of 5 which was n;ry generously advancedby our Chairman-Mr. Rodway--during the early part of the year 1907-0,to meet pressing demands, but \\'e have a small credit balance of r 17s. 1 Id. i \ !though wc may congratulate ourselves upon this stateof affairs ,re must ne\'ertheless bear in mind that our expenses arei l 1 c r e a ~ i n g with the years, and, therefore, members are asked to assistthe Treasurer in every \ray, especially by fOl'lrarding their subscriptlOnsin early because on ,vhich much of the Club's prosperity depends. Itis trusted that mcmbers will not think that \\'e are 110\\- independent ofreceiving donations, far from it, in fact it appears that to enable the Clubto incur similar expenditure and bring out a Journal, donations will beabsolutely necessary. Eyery effort has been made to collect all subscriptions, but there are still some arrears which amollnt for the year justclosed to 2 16s. 3d, amI for back years to 3 75. Gd., making atotal of 6 3s. 9d outstanding. It will be noticed in the Statementon opposite page that the cost of printing the Club's Jourllal is notincluded for the reason that it was not ready at the time of balancing.Several items of expenditure haye of necessity been increased ascompared with those of the previous year. For instance, i tem' :-ltationer)and Stamps' was increased by , r 12S. 4d.; item 'Ad\'ertising' hy 4 6s. 3d ; item '1


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THE T A S ~ I A N I A N NATURALIST.

6uidt to tbt mollusca.Adapted for Youug Students.

By W. L. :\1AY.

INTRODlJCTOR Y.T:HE following treatise is very much in the form of a compilation,

~ being adapted from Woodward with a view to its applicabilityto the Tasmanian fauna. Many genera represented in our waters are notmentioned, there being no intention to write a manual, but enough havebeen dealt with to enable the collector to place most of his specimensin or near the right place; the accompanying plates will also be of goodservice. To tbose who are within reach of it, the named collection inthe Hobart Museum will be found of the greatest a ~ s i s t a n c e . All thespecies likely to be collected by a beginner will be found there represented. In addition the author will be pleased to assist in identification,when the above means have failed. The figures illustrating this paperare all dra Vn from Tasmanian shells.

The animal kingdom is divided first of all into sub-kingdoms, theneach sub-kingdom into so many classes containing those which havefurther characteristics in C0111mon. The classes into orders, t11e ordersinto families, the families into genera, and these again into species orkinds.

The :\Iollusca or soft-bodied animals form a sub-kingdom, and aredivided into four classes.

I . Cephalopoda.2. Gastropoda.3. Pteropoda.4 Lamellibranchiata. CLASS I. - The Cephalopoda (Head-footed) contains thoseMollusca that, like the common octopus, have a number of feet (or

arms) set round the mouth; and is divided into those having two gills(Order I. Dibranchiata) and those with four (Order 11. Tetrabranchiata).Order I. is again divided into (a) Those with eight feet like the

Argonaut (or Paper nautilus), of which we have one fine species (Atuberculata), sometimes drifted on to our coasts; and the commonoctopus (b) those with ten feet, such as the Loligo or squid, whosedelicate, internal shell so much resembles a pen in shape; the cuttlefish, sepia, whose so-called 'bone ' is frequently found on our beaches,and the pretty little spirula (Fig. 6).

The only representative of the four-gilled order now living is thewell known Pearly nautilus, but in former times this order was ex-tremely numerous, especially the Ammonites.


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26 THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

CLASS H.-Gastropoda (Belly-footed) comprises those Molluscawhich, like the common snail, creep on the under surface of the body,and, with one exception (Chiton, Fig. 16), their shells are univalve (i.e.,composed of one piece). The aperture, whence the animal issues, iscalled the mOll!lt ___ and its outer edge the lip " each turn of the shell is awl/{)ri; the last and largest the body wltOri, the whorl from the top at theape.\' down to the mouth form the spire,. and the line where the whorlsjoin each other is called the suture. The axis of the shell around whichthe whorls are coiled is sometimes open or hollow, and the shell is thensaid to be ulII/!ilira!ed (as in Fig. 8); when closely coiled a pillar of shellor columella is left (as in Fig. 2). Sometimes the corner of the mouthfarthest from the spire and next the columella is produced into a channel,the anterior canal (see Fig. O!). Most Gastropods are dextral-that is tosay, the mouth is to the right of the axis as you look at it ; a few, howe\'er, are sinistral (like Physa, Fig. 20), whilst reversed varieties of bothkinds are met with occasionally.

Gastropods of the first order have comb-like gills placed in advance of the heart, and hence are termed Prosobranchiata. They aredivided into two groups. (a) Siphollosto11lata (Tube-mouthed), in whichthe animal has a long proboscis and a tube or siphon from the breathing chamber that passes along the anterior canal of the shell, which inthis group is well developed (as in Fig. 2). They have a hornyoperculum or lid with which to close the aperture, (b) Holostolllata (orwhole-mouthed). In these the siphon is not produced, and does notwant to be protected, accordingly the month of the shell is ell tire, i.e.,has no canal (see Fig 9). The operculum is horny or shelly.

The former (Group a) includes several families :-I . The S!rom/!it/rc, comprising many large showy species, some ofwhich are used for cameo cutting. None are found in Tasmania.2. The ljuricid{e, containing Mm'ex, of which we have severalspecie, more or less spiny, and .fiIlSlIS, or long-tailed whelks, withseveral fine Tasmanian species (Fig. 2).3. The BlIccillida:, including .Nassa, Comi71ella, Purpura (Fig.3), and Oli \'a, all with representatives here.4. The Cassidid,,7, or 'Helmet shells,' with Cassis (Fig. 7) and

LotoriulII, with several fine species; the large L. spel1gleri is a commonform (Fig. 4).5. The COllld"" whose type, the 'Cone shell ' (Fig. I), is so

abundant in tropical seas, but only represented here by one fair sizedand one minute species. And also the Pleurolomida:, an immensegenus of small but beautiful shells, well represented here, but usuallyfound in deep water.6. The rolutida, embracing the Volllta, Mitra, and Marginel/a.

They have solid shells, usually polished or enamelled, and with severalstrong plails or folds on the columella (see Fig. 5). We have severalvery fine volutes, including one of the largest (ie., r. mamilla).


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THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST.

Mitras are fairly well represented, and Marginellas are very numerous,Tasmania being rich in tbis genus. They are small, highly polishedshells, inhabiting sand or mud from low water to 1 0 0 fathoms.

7. The Cypra:ida: or Cowries, which owe their high polish to thesize of the shell-secreting organ (mantle), whose edges meet oyer theback of the shell, concealing it within its folds. One large and severalsmaller species occur here.The second group, or Holosto11lata, is divided into nineteenfamilies, beginning with-

I. The fllaticidtc, whose type, l\Tafica, is well represented by thecommon N. conica of our coasts (Fig. 9)

2. The Callcellarida:, in which the shells are cancellated or crossbarred by a double series of lines.

3. The Pyramidellidrc, which are high spired, elongated andslender shells, usually small or minute forms.

4. The Solaridcc or ' Staircase shells,' whose umbilicus is so widethat as you look down it the projecting edges of the whorls appearlike a winding staircase (Fig. 8).

5. The Scalarid,c, which may be readily recognised from theirwhite and lustrous appearance and from the strong ribs that encirclethe \yhorls (Fig. IS).

6. Tile Ceritlliadif: (or ' Horn shells '), very high spired (Fig. 13)'These shells are usually dull coloured, and occur here in shallow,muddy bays and estuaries.

7. The Turritellidil' or 'Tower shells,' the type T/{rritella (Fig.10) is spiral, but in the allied zlermetlls, thou?,h the .spire begins inthe natural manner, it goes off into a twisted tube, resembling somewhat an ill-made corkscrew. The mouth of this family is oftennearly round. All these forms are well represented here.S. The 1I1elalliadae, and 9, the Pallldinidlle, are mostly freshwater shells; the former is not found here, but the latter is represented by a species that is very abundant on mud fiats in shallowinlets, where it is more or less amphibious.la . The Litorillidae or 'Periwinkles' are small, round shellsfound liying on stones at or near high water mark.11 . The Calcl'/,traedae comprise the 'Bomlet limpets.' Theymay be described as limpets ,,,ith traces of a spire left, several of ourspecies li \e perched on other shells, either living or dead.12 . The TlIl'binidae or 'Top shells,' the common Turbo undu-latus or 'Warriner,' and the Pllasiallella, 'Pheasant shell' (Fig. II)are examples with shelly opercuiums ; and TrocllUs with horny operculums are well represented by some handsome species (Fig. 14),among them being the well known' Kelp shell.'


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THE T A S ~ I A N I A N NATURALIST.13. The rIaliotidat, 'Ear shell' or 'Mutton fish '; we haveseveral fine species, one, Halt"otis llaevasa, being plentiful on rocks at

about low water mark on many parts of our coast.14. The ialltltinidae or 'Violet snails' that float about in the

open ocean. Two species are occasion;llly drifted to our shores. Atcertain seasons they secrete a curious float or raft, to which their eggsare attached.15. Fissurelltdae or keyhole and notched limpets (Fig. 17),whose name sufficiently describes them, and of which we have severalinteresting species.16. The Neretidae. A group of globular, solid shells (Fig. 12),which we have one species common on rocks on parts of the EastCoast, black on the outer surface and white within.I7. The Patellidae or True limpets, well known to all seasidevisitors. Tasmania has some good representatives of the family.18. The Dentaliadae, represented by the genus Dentalium or, Tooth shells,' are simply slightly curved tubes, open at both ends

and tapering from the mouth downwards, and cannot be mistaken.19. Lastly, we have the Chitonidae, whose simple genus Chiton(Fig. J 6) possess shells differing from all other Mollusca in being

composed of eight plates overlapping each other and set in a hornygirdle. This animal is not only like the limpet in form, but also inhabits, being found adhering to rocks :ll1d stones at low water.Order II.-Pulmonifera contains the air-breathing Gastropods,and to it consequently belong all the terrestrial Mollusca, though some

few aquatic genera are also included. Foremost in this order standsthe great family :-1 . Helieidae, named after its chief representative, the genus H e l l ~ , , (which is only too well known by the introduced garden snail,

Helix aspersa. There are a number of interesting, but mostly small,species of this family in our wooded country, nearly all of which arepeculiar to the island.2. The Li1ilaeidae or slugs, also too well known; some have a

more or less imperfect internal shell, others none at all.3. The Li11lllaeidae embrace the ' Pond snails' Lilllllaea, Pltysa(Fig. 20) (with reversed whorls), Alleylus or freshwater limpet, andPlanorbis or ' Coil shell,' which is wound like a watch spring. "\11 ofthese have representatives in our rivers and ponds, and we may boastof having the finest known Allc)'lus in the Great Lake.4. The Allriculidat! includes both spiral shells such as Auricula,

and a limpet like one, Siplzollaria, common on rocky coasts.Order 1I1.-0pisthobranchiata. These animals carry their gillsexposed on their backs and sides, towards the rear of the body; only a

few have any shell.


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2(j

1. The Torllate!lid(c, which have a stout, little spiral shell.2 . The BlIlltdrr (Fig. 15), in which the spire is concealed.3. The Apl}'siadae or 'Sea hares,' where the shell is flat and

oblong or triangular in shape.The rel11aining families are slug-like and shell-less.CLASS III.-Pteropoda. These pretty little :\Iollucs are oceanswirnmers. The members of one division to which C!l()O//1I1l (l;ig. [9)belongs are furnished with glassy, transparent shells. They may betaken alive from the surface by a tmying-net; the d e ~ d shells very fre

quently appear in dredgings in deep water. Several species haye latelybeen taken at the lOO fathom line off Cape Pillar.CLASS IV. -Lamellibranchiata (Plate gilled) or Conchi fera(shell-bearing) includes the ~ I o l l u s c a , commonly known as 'bivah-es,'the animal being snugly hidden between two more or less closely IIttingshell y val ves.

The oysters, cockles, etc., are examples of this class. The twovalves are fastened together near their points or beaks (technically calledulIlbones) by a tough, elastic ligament, sometimes supplemented by aninternal cartilage. I f this be severed and the valves p ~ r t e d , it willbe found that in most cases they are further articulated by projectingridges or points called the teetlt, which, when the valves are together,interlock and form a hinge. The margin of the shell on which theteeth and ligament are situated is termed the hinge line. cl" bivah-e issaid to be eqltiualue when the two shells cOl1lposing it are of the samesize; illequiv,liue wben they are not.

I f the umbones are in the middle the shell is equilateral (Fig. 27),but illequtiateral when they are nearer one side than the other (Fig. 24).I f the shell Le an oyst


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'0, ) THE T A S 1 \ L \ ~ L \ N l ' \ , \TURALlST.

which tbey respire, dralring the ,Yater in through one and expelling it by theother. Those kinds whose habit it is to bury themselves below tbe surface of the mud or sand are furnished with long, retractile siphons, andto admit of their being \\-ithdrawn into the shell the mantle is at thispoint attached further hack, giving rise to the pallial sinlls abovedescribed; this sinus is deeper as the siphons are proJlortionatelylonger, and in man)' cases, too, the valves do not meet at this pointwhen the sbell is closed_ Attention to tbese particulars is necessarywhen arranging your bivalves, as on them the classification depends,the class heing di,-ided i n t o -

a, Asiphonida (Siphonless).h. Siphonida, Integro-palliala (with Sipbons) - Pallial lineentire.c. Siphonida, Si1l11-pallia/a (with Siphons) - Sinus in pallialline.

DII'IST('N A.-i\siphonida is next sub-divided i n to -I . The Ostnit/ae or Oysters, which are desen-edly a distinctfamily in themselves. " 'e have one fine large species,2. Ano7lliariac, comprising tbe multiform and curiously con

structed A 1lo7llia.3. The Pectenititle, taking its name from the genus Pecten or

'Scallop-shells,' of Iyhich one kind (I'. medius) is frequently seen 111the fishmongers' shoJls j altogether, \Ye have fil'e species, most ofwhich are fine, handsome shells when good specimens are obtained.The "[ horny oysters,' Spondylus, take rank here, and are highlye,teemed by collectors; the genus is represented in our fauna byone small specie;; only.

4. The A7!iCl/liriae or 'Wing shells' (Fig. 3 [), among which arenumbered the ' Pearl oyster' of commerce j and also Pinna, of whichwe ;)ossess one fine species. The Pinnas, like the mussels and someother bivalves, moor themselYes to rocks by means of a number ofthreads spun by the foot of the mollusc and termed tbe b)'sms.

5, The i l l) li/it/ae or M l s ~ ; e l s .6. Tbe Arradae or 'Ark shells,' chamcterised by their long,

straight hinge line, set with numerous fine teeth (Fig. 22); the generaG(l'cillleris (Fig. 25) lVucula and Letia (Fig. 29) also belong to thisfamily.7. The Tl'I;f{o 11 i l l tiae, whose single living genus, T r z ; ~ m l i a , 1S

confined to the Australian and Tasmanian coast line, whereas 1 lltimes now long past they had a world-wide distribution.S, Tbe U"ioniliar, comprising the fresh-water mussels, of whichone species inbabits our rivers, but said to be found only in thosewhich flow into Bass Strait.


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THE T A S ~ f A N I A N NATURALIST.DIVISION E. -Siphonida, Integro palliata.

1. The Chamidae, represented by the reef-dwelling Cltama.2. The Tridamidae. whose sole genus, TridaCfla, contains thelargest species of the whole class of bivalves, the shells sometimesmeasuring two feet across.3. The Cardiadae or Cockles, usually found embedded in mud(Fig. 30).4. The Lucillt'iae, in which the valves are nearly circular, andfrequently prettily sculptured on the outside (Fig. 27).5. The Cydadidae. Some genera belonging to this family, smallthin shells, are to be found in many of our ponds and streams.6 and 7. The Astartidae and Cyprinidae belong to the northernhemisphere.

DIVISION c.-Siphonida, Si1l1t-palliata.1. The Veneridae. The hard, solid shells of this family are, forelegance of form and beauty of colour, amongst the most attractive a

collector can p o s ~ e s s . Amongst others we have one beautiful species,whose ridges in fine specimens develop into elevated pink frills.(Fig. 24).2. The j}/actridae are somewhat triangular in shape, with hard,solid shells, and may at once be recognised by the pit for the hingeligament (Fig. 28).3. The Tellenidae comprise some of the most delicately tinted,both externally and internally, of all shells. In some, coloured bands

radiate from umbones, and well bear out the fanciful name of ' Sunset shells' bestowed upon them. Their valves are generally muchcompressed.4. The Solenidae or 'Razor shells' are readily recognised by theextreme length of the valves in proportion to the width, and also bytheir gaping at both ends (Fig. 23).5. The l11yacidae. Not represented here.6. The Allatinidae have thin, often inequivalve pearly shells; onemember of the family (Cochlodesma Angasi, Fig. 26) is a conspicuousobject on some of our beaches.7. The Gastrochrellidae embraces two genera (Gastroc/u'flla and. Saxicava) of boring Mollusca, and also the remarkable tube-like

'Watering-pot shell,' A spergillltlll , which is hardly recognizable as abivalve at all.~ . The Pholatiidae concludes the list of bivalves, and comprise, the rock-boring Plwlas (Fig. 32) and the wood-boring Teredo or'Ship-worm,' which is so destructive to the piles of wharves and. jetties.

Although the Bracltiopoda or 'Lamp shells' are not true :Mollusca,t:y are not very far removed from them, and are so often to be found


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PLATE 1.

Fig. r. Conus anemone. Lallllll'ci.:.2. FuslIS nov:e-hollandi:e. Reeve.

"3 Purpura slIccincta. J J.fll r I)'?t.4 Lotorium spengleri. Cltellll i itz.

5 Voluta undulata. Lallllll 'C .:.6. Spirula sp irula. /-ill?t.

"7 Cassis Se lll1gra n05a. LI l I I I l l I 'C k.8. Solarium reeve!. Hallle)'.9 N atica coni ca . La1/ f ( l1 ' (k


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8W. L.MAY cUJ.,.


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PLA 'rE I r.

Fi g. 1 0 . Tunit e lla gunn!. R eeve.

" r f . L'hasian e ll a n ;ntri cosa. Q IIO) ' .12. Nerita Ille lanotragus. Sill itll .

" 13Cerilhilllll au slrali s. QIIO),.

14 Call ios to llla Illeye ri . ! ' ulL!,/' i.15 Bull a a USl ra li s. Gra) '.I G. C h iloll 1l 1.J \;\: ho llall d ix. ;':ce:j1f .

"r 7. I,' iss llre lla scule lla . S ower/J)'.

" J 0. Sca la acuieala. f!llllllrck.

" 1


16/24

13

IG

,19 20

J7 18WI..MAY cid.


17/24

PLATE TTT.

Fi g. 2 J . Gari zo nal is. J:ailia rek.2 2 . Area pi slachia . Lalllarek23 Solen vagi no ides. Llllllarek24 Ve nu s cl isjeeta. Pen :)'.25 Glyeilllcri s sl llalula ri s. Lalllarck26 . Coehlodesma angasi. Crosse.27 Lucin a hllltoniana. Vallll/tl/ .28. :-Iac lra pura. Deslwl'cs.

29 ] ,..:da crassa. iiillris.3') Carcliun l lenui eos tatlllll rI/lilt/reil.

" .11. .\.vieula pa pi Iionace;t. Lalllilr(/, .32. Pholas a u s t r a a s i ~ \ ! Gray

" 33. :-Iage11ania ftaveseens. Lallll lNk


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.31\Iv.l..MAY d,l.

- - ~2.6

32

27

030

.33


19/24

32 TH E TASMANIAN NATURALIST.---------------------------------------------------in cabinets that it will not do to pass them over, especially since in pasttimes they were so abundant, an enormous number occurring in thefossil state. Only eight genera are now living. Shells belonging to thisclass are readily recognised by the fact of one valve being larger than theother and possessing a distinct beak, the apex of which is perforated.

The Terebmtlllidae are the most extensive family of this class.(Fig. 33).

BiUardiera Berry.Bv L. RODWAY.

IT is well to call our climbing berry by the above name for two good~ . reasons: it is the correct scientific name, and it avoids confusion.If we call it Blue Berry it clashes with the Dianella Lily, which is alsoso called; if Blue, or Purple, Climbing Berry there is also confusion,as it is sometimes white or red, or some mixture of these. I f we call itBillardiera we are fairly safe; for the only other such plant found inTasmania is a closely related form with long, greenish berries that growsin the north.

Billardiera is so named in honour of M. Labillardiere, an eminentFrench botanist, who did much good work amongst our plants in theearly part of last century. In general appearance it appears very unlikeany other of our wild shrubs, yet the structure of the flowers shows thatit is closely related to Pittosporum. Young botanists must learn thatgeneral appearance does not necessarily indicate relationship. This factis not so only amongst plants, as a dolphin or porpoise is very like afish, a bat is somewhat like a bird.

Another source of confusion is in the fruit. We all respect thesource from which we take th(l quotation: 'By their fruit shalt thouknow them'; but by this was not meant that similar fruits mean relationship. Similar fruits sometimes do indicate such a fact, but notalways. The fruit called a legume, familiar to us in pea and bean, isconfmed to one family; the same with grain as found in grasses, butwith such a form as berry it is found upon all sorts of plants.

I f you find Billardiera in flower you will see the corolla isyellowish or somewhat green, and is long (from this it has receivedthe scientific name of Billardiera longiflora) and tubular. This tubularform is caused by the petals adhering to one another along their edges,and not by being united in a tube; a most important character to note,as it indicates wide difference of relationship. I f you dissect the floweryou will find outside five small sepals that usually fall early; alternatingwith these, and inserted close above them, are five well-developed petalsthat tend to cohere along their margins; within these are five stamens


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THE TASMANIAN NA'lTRALIST. 33that alternate withthe petals; and in the centre is the pistil. This isformed of two carpels so blended that they enclose a si ngle chamber oneach side, of which along the lines of junction is a row of minuteovules.

If, instead of a Billardiera flower, you take that of a Pittosporumit will be found to conform also to the above description. When fruitforms a difference becomes apparent. Billardiera develops a berry,Pittosporum a leathery capsule, with numerous red or yellow stickyseeds.

Our common form bears t:leautiful, llearly square, dark, purpleberries; but sometimes they are white. They may be white or tingedwith blue on the same plant. In close proximity to the sea the berriesare often pink or dark red, sometimes with a mixture of purple. I f ayoung red-berried plant, or a slip of one, be cultivated away from thesea the berries appear to maintain their colour; but if a plant is raisedfrom the seed of a red berry the colour seldom comes true, the fruitsbeing generally a dirty purple. Why the proximity of salt water inducesred fruit in this plant is not known. Our common Love creeper hasusuaily blue flowers, rarely white, but when close to the sea it oftenbears pinky flowers. I t wi 11 be interesting to test with these whetherthe white forms will be influenced by the addition of salt to their food.

preliminary note on the pterylosis and myologyof the fjind (imb in Certain megal'odes.By T. THOl\lS0N FLYNN, H.Sc.

(John Contts Re:-iearch Scholar, Sydney. I..ectllrer il l Biology, l'lliyen.,ity of Tasmania).

P TERYlOSIS. Nitzsch pointed out that in a museum specimen, badly'_. preserved, of Megapodius rubri pes, the oil gland was tufted(Proc. Ray Soc., 1867). Garrod, later (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1878, pp. 629-631, CoIl. Se. Papers, pp. 452-3), states that in his examination ofMegacephalon maleo, the oil gland was lIude. These are the only tworeferences available to me. In t he ' mallee fowl' (Lipoa ocellata) andt he ' scrub' or 'brush turkey' which two genera I have lately examinedthe oil gland was absolutely nude. Thus I had come to think that thenaked oil gland was a general Megapode character, when I bad theopportunity, through the courtesy of F. Young, Esq., engineer on Ss., Upoln,' of examining a twelve days old chick of Megapodius ercmita


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34 THE T.\S:\IANIAN NATURALIST.from the Solomon Islands, and was surprised to find that in this casethe oil gland was tufted. I t may be that Nitzsch was right, therefore,ill describing a tufted gland for :\1. rubripes, and that this characteristicis common to the genus l\Iegapodius but not to the Megapodes.,"'DW MYOLOGY. The muscles of the thigh are similar to those pointedout by Garrod as common to Gallinaceous birds (P.Z.S., 1873, pp. 626-644) There is also present a vinculum joining the deep flexor of thefoot to the flexor longus hallucis. In addition there is another vinculumwhich may be of equal classificational value joining ~ L flexor perforatusdigiti Ill. to ~ I . perforatus et perforans digiti lIT.

Since these are scratching birds the muscles of the foot are welldeveloped. Of these, the most interesting is probably :\1. adductordigiti IV., of which Gadow (Bronn's Thier-reichs, Aves p. 204) says:, Diesen Muskel in der Literatur erwiihnt ist habe ich nur bei sehrwenigen Vogeln gefunden. He mentions its presence in Rhea,Bucorvus, and Rhamphastus. Its occurrence in the ~ I e g a p o d e s is,therefore, especially interesting. I t arises from the upper part of theanterior aspect of the tarso'l1letatarse and from part of that bone as wellas from the side of the extensor brevis digitorum. It is a thin spindleshaped muscle with a tendon passing through a canal between themetatarsals of digit II I. and IV. to be tixed on the inner side of the baseof the proximal phalanx of digit IV.


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TH E TASl\lANIAN NATURALIST. 3SHni"al of Swallows in Casmania.

By E. A. ELLlOTT.I N order to ascertain the time taken by the Welcom Swallow (Hirundo

~ neoxena) to spread o\'er the Islal1d after its return to Tasmania inthe spring from its winter quarters on the l\lainland, a number of, swallow-cards' were sent to numerous correspondents during the years195-6-7. The result of the returns is gi\'en in the table below.Montague 30-S-06 22-S-07Smith ton 11-9-06 S-9-07Stan1e\' 23-S-06L1 verstolle 27-8-05 15-S-06Devonport 15-8-05 21-8-06George Town 16-S-06Boobyalla 2S-8-06Ringarooma 13-S-05 24-S-06Westbury 29-8-05 30-8-06Lal1nCestoll 17-S-05 26-8-06Lyruington, N. lS-8-05Cullenswood (St. Mary's) 26-8-05Epping 25-S-05Carupbell Town 25-8-05Ross 26-8-05Oat1ands 26-8-05Ke1vedoll (Swansea) 25-8-05Triabl1llnaRichmondForcettCarnarvonHythe--Sol1thportKingstonHobartKemptollBothwellGreat Lake

2S-8-0528-S-0531-8-05

3-9-0526-8-05

\\ 'aratah 16-10-05

23-8-061-9-063-9-064-9-0617-S-0622-8-064-9-0623-8-066-9-0610-9-062-9-U6129-066-9-863-9-062-9-06

3-9-0727-8-0717-8-074-9-0729-8-0730-8-073-9.0719-9-0726-8-07

19-8-0725-8-078-9-076-9-073-9-079-9-075-9-0729-0730-8-076-9-0712-9-07

Zeehan 5-9-05 10-9-06 7-9-07Strahan 1-905 11-9-06 5-9-07Examination of the above table proves that the swallows do notarrive in the State in a general body but rather in small flocks, and they

may appear on the East Coast in the neighbourhood of Swansea beforethey are seen on the North Coast. Confusion sometimes is causedthrough only one or two birds being seen, and it is evident that a smallnumber stay in the State during the whole year; on the 2nd July, I909,I saw one flying in the streets of Hobart, and have heard of others from-time to time being seen elsewhere.During I906 the swallows dispersed themseh-es oYer the Island ina fairly regularly manner, but in the following year, possibly owing to the very cold and wet spring, great variation in their mO\'ements wasnoticeable-records from places close together showing perhaps a fort- night between the dates of arrivals. Certainly these birds do not arrive in a body as when they leave on their migration in the autumn-thislatter sight I once witnessed, there being a very large stream of birds,: stretching from horizon to horizon, flying to the northwards.


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THE ' l ';\S:\IANIAN NATURALIST.

notes on migrating-birds.Bv ROBERT HALL, c.:\I.Z.S.

1. Tbe Swift (Cbaetura caudacuta, Lath.) left Tasmania for itsnorthern home very late this year. That arch enemy of useful birds, thedomestic cat, actually caught a Swift and as late in the year as April 7th,1909. The bird was in poor condition and probably lent itself to easy,capture. The April of this year was a specially good one j the air beingwarm and the grass in fine order. This affected the number of insectsand possibly kept a few of the birds longer in their feeding area. Swirtsof the present species were noted in Eastern Victoria, on April 10th, ofthis year.On April 7th, Dr. J. r\. WeDster, Launceston, described to me bowa flock of Spine-tailed Swirts, instead of being nearer Queensland thanTasmania were doing damage among his bees. They were crossing and

circling over his and his neighbour's gardens. Three lines of hees weregathering their autumn food. The Swifts were continually breaking intothese lines as they circled in their albatross-like flight. The bees did notappear to attempt to avoid the birds and were killed before they couldlodge their sting. The Swifts kept returning to the chase. I t was a newexperience for the young bees as the Welcome-and Tree Swallows withwhom they had been living had not disturbed them The Swifts camelater to do the damage. Some years ago, near Port Phillip Bay, Iremember getting a Spine-tailed Swift undergoing a moult.

2. The Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena, Gld.) Q.id not altogetherleave Tasmania during the past winter. One pair remained aboutMacquarie Street, Hobart, throughout the year. Quite a number ofpeople noted the occurrence from the tops of the trams as they passedthrough the quiet portion of the street.

On August loth, 1909, a second pair was observed for the tlrst time,this Spring, in Harrington Street, Hobart. There was an old nest a fewyards away from them, and the birds looking very tired began to plumethemselves as if they had neglected the duty for days. There were noother swallows about that part of the city. I t was too early, in anordinary season, for the incoming migrants. This early Spring broughtmany birds to Southern Tasmania soon after the middle of August.l\Ir. J. H. J nkins came to the :\Iuseum to report the fact that hisswallows had returned to their old home I know of a nest in SouthernVictoria that has been used and added to during the past eighteen years.I t may have been' entailed' property.

An albino specimen was recently brought to the ~ I u s e u m by :VIr. P.:\iitchellmore. A pair of apparently normal birds had a white nestlingin each of three broods :-

Brood A showed onc ",hite bird in the nest of normal birds. I t


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THE T A S ~ I A N I A N NATURALIST. 37fell from the nest or was turned out just as it was wellfeathered.

Brood B showed one white bird in the normally coloured brood.During the first day upon the wing a wild magpie (Gymnor-hina hyperlenca, Gld.) killed it and tore it to pieces whileupon the ground.

Brood C had one white one which left the nest apparently inpoor health. For a few days it kept alighting upon the logsin a pond. It was found dying upon one of the logs andfinally Mr. Mitchellmore actually saw the bird give up itsli fe, presumably by reason of fatigue and cold. Most birdswhen ill hide away in the night expecting to see the morninglight; but fail to.

This year, those who usually observe, will find the swallow familyarrive a little earlier in the 1110nth.

Documents

TasNat 1909 Vol2 No2 WholeIssue