EDITED BY C. ANDERSON, M.A., D.Sc.
A Naturalist on the Nepean River - Anthony MusgratJe A Museum Collector In Papua The Story of the Oyster - T. C. Roughley Stone Fishes and the Art of Camouflage Allan R. McCu/loch
The Fruit-Bats, or" Flyln&l-Foxes u of Australia E. Le G. Trought(}n Destruction of the Whitsunday Coral Reefs, Q'land B. H. Rainford What I found • .d. H. Chisholm PROFUSELY ILLUSTilATBD . - Vol. D. No. 5. JAN.-MARCH, 1925. Price-ONE SHILLING. PUBLISHED QUARTERLY. rfHE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM COLLEGE STREET, SYDNEY.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES: President : T. iroJUB DrxsoN, M.B., Ch.M., Knight of Graco of the Order of St. John. Crown Trustee : J .uaBs MoKBRN.
Official Trustees : HIS HONOUR THE CmEF J USTIO.:Ii. TB:I HoN. TBE PRESIDENT OF THE LBGISLA.TITll CouxCIL. THE HoN. THE CoLONIAL S:soBJn'ABY. -'"' THE HoN. THE ATTORNEY- GUliBAL. THE HoN. THE CoLONIAL TRliASU.RliR. THE HoN. TBE SEO&ETA.RY FOR PuBLIC WoRKS AND M!NISTlUt I'O.a RA.IL1U.YI. Tu.K_,HON. THE .MINIST.ER OF PUBLIC lNSTRUOTION. T.BE AUDITOR-GENERAL. THB PRESIDENT OF TBB N.S.W ALBS MEDIOAL BOARD (T. STOB.IE DI.XSO:N, M.B., Ch.M.). THB SURVEYOR-GEI.~ERAL AND CluEll' SUBVXYOR. TaB CROWN SoLICITOR.
Elective Trustee• : W. H. H.l.RGRAVES. SIB wu.r.uu: Vlo~ , C.B.I. EBIO SINOLA.IR, M.D. MAJ.-G.EN. SIR CHARLES ROBIIiTIA{;, J. R. M. RoBERTSON, M.D., C.M. K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., Y.D., E&..t.lEST WUNDERLIOB, F.R.A.S. M.L.A. G. H. ABBOTT, B.A., M.B., Ch.M. PRoF. L. HARRlSON, B.A., B.So. THI HoN. D. LEvY, LL.B., M.L.A. E. C. AND.REWS, B.A., F.G .S. J. J. FLETOBER, M.A., B.So. O OTA VIUS c. BEA.LE.
Director: CHARLES ANDEBSON, M. .A ., D.Sc.
Secretary: ,V. T. \VELLS, A.I.A.V. Sctentlllc Staff : ALI.AJ.'i R. McCULLOCH, Zoologist, in charge of Fi~hu. WILLIAM W. 'I.'HORPE, Ethnologist. J. RoY KINGBORN, Zoologist, in charge of Birds, Reptilu, and Amphtbit~?M. Ews LE G. TROUGHTON, Zoologist, in cluJrge of 1Jlamm.al~ and SkelctoM. ANTBONY MusGRAv E, Entomologi8t. F. A. MoNBILL, Zoologist, in chargt of Lowtr lnverltbralu. T. HoDGE SMITII, Mineralogist and Petrologi!t. Librarian: w. A. RAINBOW. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
VoL. 11., No. 5. C ONTENTS Jan.- March, 1925
"'MosQUITO CaMP;· ARAMIA LAKE , VVESTF.RN PAPUA- C'aptain Frank Hu1·l('y ... FTontispiece
EDITORIAL ... 149 .NOTES AND NEWS ... 150, 157, 174 A NATURALIST ON THE NEPEAN HIVER- Anlhony .}J usg·rave 151 A :vt usEuM Co LLECTOR I N P APUA 15R STONE FisHES AND THE ART OF CAM.OUFLAG 1~-Allan R . .lfcGulloch 159 REVIEWS 162 1 THE STORY OF THE OYSTER- 1 • G. RoughlRy 163 ~l}n; F RUIT-BATS OR •· FLYING-FOXES " OF AUSTRALlA- Ellis L e G. Tmughfon 169 DESTRUCTION OF THE W m TSUNDAY GROUP FRINGING R·EEFS-E. H . Rainford 175 'VHAT I F ouND-A. H . Chisholm... 178
P ublished Quarterly by the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Dollege Street, Sydney, in the months of January, April, J uly, and October. Subscription 4/4, including postage. Communica tions regarding subscriptions, advertising rates, and business matters generally in connection with THE AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM MAGAZINE should be addressed to the Secretary...... ~ 00 \ \ ......
-p::' r-1 > d ~ :;::: );; r :J>- z ~ d (/) t;rj ~ ~ Q Mosqu it o Cnn'lp ." > Captain F r a nk H u r ley a nd M r . A. R . McCulloch e n camped a t t he A r a mla L akes, \Veste r n Papua. N...... See accom pan yl n ~ article , p nlte I 58. [Photo.- Cctptain F'. 11 tulw. G3 Published by the Australian Museum College Street, Sydney Editor: C. ANDERSON, M.A. , D.Sc. Annual Subscription, Post Free, 4/4.
VoL. !I., No. 5. JANUARY-MARCH, 1925
Editorial.
NE of the outstanding events of the year, reference collections. The reserve collections so far as the Empire is concerned, has in our museum are substantial in comparison O been the holding of the Wembley Ex with the exhibited series, and one of our great hibition. The Exhibition has been aptly problems is that of storage. But reserve described as the first Museum of Empire and collections are absolutely necessary, if a it was fitting that the Museums Association museum is to fulfil one of its most valuable should hold its annual conference there. functions, namely the preservation of the Dr. Herbert Bolton, of the Bristol Museum, means for acquiring knowledge. In a general was in the chair, and his presidential address way the exhibited collections represent the is one which should be thoughtfully read by results of past research, set forth so as to all who are charged with the management instruct the public, the reserve collections <>f museums. The address is a long and many are in large part the raw material for research, sided one, but it may not be unprofitable to the object of which is to increase knowledge, touch on a few aspects which are of particular and to this end they must be carefully cata interest to us. logued and arranged for ready reference, It is depressing to note that even now Dr. a work which makes large demands on the Bolton finds it necessary to insist that working time of those in charge of the col "'years of close study and special technical lections. skill are essential requisites for the successful working of museums.'' Apparently the day MUSEUMS AND EDUCATION. is not yet gone when the common opinion '' The collection and safeguarding of all was that anyone could undertake to ··run., these things upon which human knowledge a museum successfully. is based must ever remain the primary func tion of museums; secondary functions are MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. the advancement of knowledge by continued Every museum has much material which study of museum collections, and the is not on exhibition and Dr. Bolton discusses making of the ,new knowledge available to the best means of utilising such reserve or those who ought to receive it." 150 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
In recent years museums are taking a the research worker is to produce anything of much la.rger part in educational work . value, and not only that, it must be card in This usually takes the form of lectures. which dexed. Dr. Starr Jordan, one of the leading are of Yarious kinds. In our Museum , where ichthyologists of the world, has in one of his the lecturers are mah1ly members of our own papers referred to a member of our stafT as staff, we have gallery demonstrations, free " one of the most accurate workers in sys evening lectmes in our own hall, and free temat,ic ichthyology now living." The officer lectures in the suburbs and in country centres, in question attributes his success solely to the as well as regular series for school children. possession of a card index of literature com Our efforts in this direction have been re PI:ising about 150,000 entries, the compilation markably successful , but haYe been attended of. which has demanded years of assiduous with considerable expenditure both of time toil, undertaken in unofficial hours. and money. Dr. Bolton points out that in Speaking of the British Museum, Dt·. America, where special attention is given to Bolton says : " Each department has a very museum education of school children, special small body of highly trained men, and the teachers do the work, while in Britain it de tasks with which each man has to deal are volves upon the Museum staff, whose normal herculean, and can never ne maste1·ed by any work is usually in arrears, and he is of one man. Every scientific man of note in opinion that a museum cu1·ator is not neces the whole world interested in the science!:> sarily the best teacher of the youth of ele represented there visits it for study and mentary and secondary schools, a view enquiry, whilst gc11eral enquiries are legion. strongly held also in the United States. Collections pour in ; the labours of Sisyphus we.rc mild in comparison with those of the MUSEUMS AND RESEARCH. staff of this Museum, for his labours never increased, whilst theirs are continualiy " Research must be prosecuted if the mounting up. But this does not touch the museums are to fulfil their highest function, question of research. These men do carry which is the advancement of science, art, and out research, but only by making the hours industry.'' of life the hours of labour .. , The difficulty which faces every museum While ours is a much smaller and less worker is that of finding time for research. ambitious institution than the British The mere reading of the enormous body of Museum, our staff is also proportionately new scientific work which is poured forth every smaller, and their duties are equally multi year is a heavy task, but it must be faced if farious and exacting.
The untimely death of Professor J ohn I. been re-elected President of the Board of Hunter was a great shock to the staff of the Trustees of the Australian Museum for the Australian Museum, to which he was a year 192~ . frequent visitor. He wa a man of fine personal qualities and 1·are ability, and his Mr. Octavius C. Beale, who wa-s recently death is a signal loss to t he University of elected to the' Board of Trustees of this Sydney, to Australia, and to medical science. lY.[useum, took his seat at the meeting of 7th November and was welcomed by Dr. T. Mr. J. McKern, Crown Trustee, left Storie Dixson, President. recently on a visit to India. He will be absent for about four months and during By arra.ngement .with the Curator of the that time will visit various museums in Technological Museum, Sydney, tbis insti India, particularly those of Colombo, Bombay tution has agreed to 1pake available to the and Madras. En route he visited the various country museums loa.n collections museums at Adelaide and Perth. Of exhibits.. These will .be .',changed at intervals, thus affordjng the country resident Dr. T. Storie Dixson, President of the the opportunity of seeing much more than Medical Board of New South Wales, has would otherwise bc.possible. lifE A Uf.lTHA LIAN MU 'E UM ~l AGAZ l NE 151
OH. some years past it has bee~ t the happy T ench, ti ur·gcons A1·ndell and Lawc , two F custom of various members of t he staff of marines a nd a. convict. The result of t heie the AustJ·ulianlVluseum to pay short holi explorations being madr lmown, Governor day visits to the Nepea.n River near Mulgoa.. Phillip named t hr ri ver after Under-Sec Though our jaunts were never undertaken retary Nepean of t he Home Department. with the intention of making a ny ~eri o us For t he 1wxt twenty-four years the river was study of the na.tlU'al history of t.his locality, t he western boundary of t he colony, for it was still we rarely came away wit hout gaining not until 1 8 1 :~ t ha.t BJaxla.nd, La.wson , and some slight insight into t he li ves of t he vVcntworth ::;tormcd the barrier of the .Blue animals. or gathering some curiosity to emich Mounta ins and laid bare the secrets of the the collections of the l\1useum. In t his western plain:. After t he road had been manner we ha.ve grad nally accumulated constructed over' t he mountains, a ferry took certain facts a bout the ri vcr whic h may a.ppca I travellers across t he l'iver about t he spot to those who, like oursel vcs, find pCA.ce a nd where the Penritll railway bridge now tands, contentment by its reed-g irt ha.nks. a.nd here in 18:1() Charle Dan vin. the gr'eat m~turalis t. crossed the river on a trip to HI S'l'ORJ< 'AL. Bath u rst. R.eaders of his Voyage of the Re.a.gte will rlou btless rem em her his a.ccount 'l'he Nepean '.vas discovered u1.Jun e, 1789, of t he journey, a nd ho'r impressed he was by a party consist ing of Captain-Lieutenant wit h t hf' scenery of the Blue M.ountains. 152 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
bridge Mulgoa Creek, a beautiful willow em bowcrcd tributary, enters the river on the eastern side, its mout h being choked with a tangle of aquatic plants, chiefly nardoo. Having left Mulgoa Creek a mile behind, we enter a deep gorge with hills 700 feet high on each side. Near t he place of our entry, Glen brook Creek joins the river on the western side. This, at one time, was a pretty spot , but debris from the railway deviation works on the hills above have spoilt the valley, and a peninsula of rubble and stone juts out into the Nepean. Looking bacK from GlenLrook Creek towards Penrith we note how abruvtly we change from the low-lying country to the sandstone ridges of t he Hlue Mountains. From now on for nine or ten miles t he river ftows through a splendid gorge, sometimes with towering cliffs of The ~orge of the Nepean Rlver from the peninsula of sandstone weathered into ochre-coloured r ubble at Glenbrook Creek. [ Photc.-..4. Musgrave. caves, sometimes with steep wooded acclivi ties whose bases arc lined with a vegetation quite distinct from that which adorns their THE RIVER. sides and summits. This line marks the zone of the floods. The gorge is interrupted only on The Nepcan rises in the coastal escarpment its western side, where it is joined by Euroka, of the Illawarra Mountains and flows in a. .Breakfast, and Erskine Creeks, and then the westerly direction to join with the Warra river gorge broadens out where it is joined by gamba River near Mulgoa. Below its junc the W arragam ba. It is here in a rock shelter tion with the Warragamba it is known as the known t o us as Sandy Cave that we usually Nepean until, after its meeting with the camp. At a short distance beyond the cave Grose River near Richmond, it becomes the we come to the junction of the two rivers, Hawkesbury River and as such enters the sea. and we find the Nepean so sha.llow that it is The part of the river most frequented by necessary for us to tie up the boat and pro us lies between the bridge at Pe:nrith and the ceed the rest of the way on foot. A short junction of the Warragamba and Nepean walk brings us to N orton's Basin, and as we Rivers, a stretch involving a thirteen mile near t his pool of tranquility we are at once row from the boatshed at Penrith. So much struck with the beauty of its surroundings. geographical, botanical and zoological in The Nepean is now only a small stream, the terest is compre. sed into this small expanse of branches of the river oaks almost meeting river that we return to it time and again to overhead, t hough t he debris in the trees find our love for it as fresh as ever. above shows to what extent t he river is cap From the Penrith bridge we row up-stream, alJle of rising in times of flood. the river here for the first three miles flowing Here t here are outcrops of basalt, a re in practically a straight line, the banks in ininder that the locality has not always been places being lined with willows drooping their as tranquil as t he scene on which we now pendulous foliage into the water. Of these, gaze. ln primordial t imes the Basin was the there are two kinds, the basket , and the outlet of gases and molten lava and ~he weeping willow. On either side of the river smoke of its burning ascended to the sJ.nes. the banks rise to a height of about thirty feet, Now all that remains to suggest the con t he countr·y on the eastern side being flat vulsions and eruptions which doubtless once and extending away to Sydney, while on the shook t he spot, is a narrow neck of old lava western side it is flat for a mile or so, then near t he Basin and extending as far as San~y sloping abruptly to the escarpment of the Cave on one side and t he weir at Walla01a Blue Mountains. About three miles from t he on t he ot her. TFIE AU~T l {.AL l AN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 153
Norton's Basin, Nepean River, an eroded volcanic pipe. The s mall cascade about the centre of the picture is the river enterin~ the Basin . [Photo.-.4 . illusgrave.
NORTON'S BASIN. its junction with the Warragamba comes The Basin itself is a large pothole in the from the latter stream, which drains an area valley of the Nepean, girt for most of its almost as far south as Canberra and as far circumference by river-oaks. It is over one west as Lithgow. Its waters have not b~en hundred yardc; across and about fifty feet utilised as is the case ,...-ith the Nepean, which deep, though according to legend it is with its tributaries higher up forms the source bottomless. As floods have swirled through of Sydney's water supply. it since time immemorial it is remarkable If we proceed up the rocky gorg~ along that it has not been choked with boulders which the Nepean flows before entermg ~be and sand. Geologists find it of interest in Basin we come across several other basms, that it provides a good example of the and a~ we continue on our journey we will, weathering of an old volcanic pipe causing after a, time, come to the weir a,t Wallacia. the formation of a basin or broadening :in the It is here that we leave the gorge and sud bed of a river.* de11ly emerge among the rolli~g hills of the The N epean flows into the Basin over a Mulgoa district. The q ucst10n th.at one ledge of rock a few feet in height, forming a would naturally ask is, why has the n ver cut small waterfall which, during the summer, its way through the mountain~ when t.he mor~ is a very insignificant trickle. As a matter low lying country offers it so little L'CS J stai~ ce. of fact most of the water in the Nepean below The explanation of this curious behaviOur on the part of t he river ha::s been shown to *See T. G. Taylor, New South W ale.s-His:orical, Phy;iO.J1'0!ph:cal, cmcl Econom·c, p. 61. be due to an earth fold. 154 THE AU~'J'RAL f AN MUBEUM MAGAZINE
A CURIOUS RACE. At one time a vast plain existed where the Blue :Mountains now stand and through this phtin the Nepean flowed on its way to the sea. Then a fold in the earth ·s surface took place, the fold lying about north and south, and ihe d ver had the big task of wea1·ing down the rising land. The movement was so slow t hat. the river was able to keep pace wit h the uplift and thus approximately mainta-in its ehat1ncJ. As it had no surplus energy to devote to the widening out of its valley, we have a narrow "saw cut" gorge. If the race had been to the advantage of the uplift, t he river would have been diverted and would have flowed along the foot of the slope from Mulgoa to Penrith. Upon t he top and sides of the esca.rpment may be seen patches of river gravel resembling those formed by the river of to-day. ·when the railway tunnel at Glenbrook was being constructed, the workmen cut through the Map s howing the earth fold in relation to the Nepean River . bed of one of t hese old river channels. North
Potholes caused by floods. Their northern c;ldes have b een worn away by stones some or which m ay be seen. LPhoto.-.1. Musgrave. 'l'H:E A USTl~ALlAN M U~EUM .lVIACAZ1NE 155
Flood-bent trees a nd deposits or water-worn s tones at the j unction of the Nepean and Warragamba Rivers. [l?hoto-.d. Musorave. of the Nepean gorge, the old river gravels the trees which have sprung up among the::;e occur on the level plain, and in a railway boulders exist despite the fact that they are cutting near Emu Plains the water-worn frequently submerged during floods and have stones of one of these ancient channels are to withstand a strong current bearing batter plainly visible. The position of these old ing rams in the shape of logs and branches channels proves that the river once followed down upon them. A river oak opposite the course which they now occupy, and that our cave is gradually succumbing to the it existed before the Blue Mountains. floods, and the earth has been all but dis lodged from its roots. Close to the junction SCENERY TN THE l\1AKING. of the Ncpcan and the Wa.rragamba are some The river seems to be ever-changing and rocks which illustrate admirably the mortar every flood washes away some old familiar and pestle method by means of which pot land mark. At the junction of the Nepean holes are formed in the beds of rivers. In a with the Warragam ba a large bank of water flood the force of the rushing water swirls worn stones has been in existence for many stones round and round so that they gradu years, and, though the smaller heaps are ally wear away the rock and thus form the constantly being washed away or replaced pot-hole. The northern sides of most of the by other heaps, the large stones are, to all pot-h oles here l1ave been worn down, showing intents and purposes, permanent. Many of that the water has come from the south. 156 THE AUt:;TRALl AN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
These examples sen·e to show us that the making of scenery by ri\'Crs is accomplished only in times of flood. ·when we ap proach the Rasin during the summer months, when the river is at a low le,•el, and appears calm and placid, mirroring the river oa~
ture fell.. through, .anrl so we go on importing castor-011 to Juhncatc our machines and to act as a deterrent to juvenile crime, when we ha ,-e, in many instances, t he plant growing within our own gates. On leaving the plains at Glenbrook Creek and entering the gorge, we encounter the Wild .iVIagnolia, its beautiful white flowers making it a prominent feature of the land scape. We call it a magnolia probably be cause it is not a magnolia ; it is really a species of Hibiscus (H?:b?·scus hete'rophyllus), and it ranges from Port H acking to Queensland. It is also known by the misleading name of ''Green Kurrajong '' though it js no more like a kurrajong than a magnolia. It is a tall shrub and its branches are liberally endowed with prickles, though the beautiful white flowers with t heir purple centres would doubtless afford compensation for any annoy ance one might sustain in gathering them. In quiet places, away from the current of the mid-stream, aquatic plants abound, making progress in a boat extremely difficult. Of these water plants perhaps the most in T he Wild Magnolia, a species of Hibiscus. Its white teresting is the Nardoo or Clover Fern (J.l!la?· flowers m ake it one of t he most conspicuous plants of the r iver - banks. silea quadTifolia), which occurs in all t heStates [Photo.- A . .l[t18gratt. except Tasmania. During the summer months the swamps in which this plant occurs dry up, and it dies, leaving only the spore cases of death by drowning have been attri buted to the tenacious powers of the stems cnRAR. Th~Re spore cases were formerly col lected by the blacks, who ground them between of this plant. The nardoo is also interesting two stones, making a kind of flour which they from the fact that it is found to-day " living used as food. N ardoo appears to contain in the same form as that in which the ancient practically no nutriment, and it is believed rocks of Dcvonian age contain it in a fos to be difficult to digest. Near the banks of silised state." the Nepean the leaves float on the surface These are but three of the many interesting of the water tethered by long stalks, which plants growing along the banks of this are a source of annoyance to rowers, for, thirteen-mile expanse of river, which pro though the leaves resemble those of the vides for the naturalist an inexhaustible field lucky four-leaved shamrock, they bring for study and for relaxation. anything but good luck. They have also In a furthN· C>ontrib\ltion the animal life of the beenknown to entangle swimmers, and several district will be described.
An opportunity to acquire a collection towards the purchase of the collection. of valuable and rare minerals from Broken Subseq ucntly Mr. T. Hodge Smith, mineral Hill recently presented itself. A vast number ogist, proceeded to Broken Hill to take of the items in this collection is now unobtain delivery, supervise packing, and dispatch of able, as they were confined to the oxidized this valuable acquisition. Whilst there Mr. zone now worked out of the celebrated silver Smith delivered a series of popular lectures, lode. under the auspices of the local Field Natural ists' Club, and also went into the matter of Sir Hugh Dixon, with characteristic gener loan of exhibits to the "Proken Hill Techno osity, made available the amount of £50 logical Museum. ] ;)8 'J'HE AUSTRALIAN MU~'EUM MAGAZINE
A Museum Collector tn Papua. ANY readers of our Magazine would of their hateful presence. Sanctuary was suppose that the camping scene por to be found only beneath the mosquito proof M trayed on the front page of this issue, nets of the camp beds, which were sewn closely could be nothing less than an idyllic holiday. to the mattresses, only a small opening being The picture conveys no suggestion of the left for entry and exit. At sundown, each troubles of a collector in the field which member of the party crept into his bed, and, arc so many and '"aried as to affect not only after closing the hole securely, set about enter the procuring and preservation of his speci ing up diary notes, skinning small animals mens, but often his comfort and even health or preserving them in jars, and any other a lso. Insect pests are perhaps his worst tasks possible in the confined space. Not enemies, they being able to destroy in a few withstanding all precautions, however, a hours, skins of birds and mammals which have dozen or so of the pests would find their way cost him several days of patient labour in in before the entrance could be blocked up preparation. Hide beetles ( Dermestes ) and and had to be chased round the nets with ants of all kinds miss no opportunity of lighted matches until the last one was suffi destroying all animal matter coming their ciently singed to put it out of action. A way, and birds intended for preservation must sporting interlude was provided when lots were be kept out of their reach until skinned and drawn during the evening to determine who packed away safely with quantities of naph should leave his bed and brave the myriad thaline to ward off t heir unwelcome attention. pests in order to turn out the benzine lamp. When cockroaches arc abundant, a collector When the picture was made Mr. McCulloch however weary after his day's work, must take was engaged in skinning some small mammals precautionary measures against their voracity and his task was rendered well nigh unendur ere permitting himself to drift in restful sleep. able by the sustained a,ttack of mosquitoes Mosquitoes often cause intense discomfort, upon his face and hands. The natives sitting and if they be of the Anopheles breed and around were less troubled, partly because carriers of the dread malaria paras ite, will they had become more or less immune to the almost certainly infect any unfortunate poison of the insects, and partly also because collector they chance to light upon. l'\onstant exposure to the burning sun, wind and r ain bad r endered their skin too tough A small party led by Captain Frank Hurley to be penetrated by the frail lancets of the into the heart of western Papua a few years mosquitoes' boring outfit. A dry and scaly ago, suffered considerably from the bites and condition of the native's skin, due to the stings of insect pests. Even his native crew, ravages of a prevalent desease commonly t hough well accustomed to an abundance of known as Sipooma likewise deterred the mosquitoes in their own district , were unable insects' ardour, as d id a thin coating of mud t o bear the torturE> inflicted upon them by dense which is affected by many natives of the swarms which were encountered along the Fly Fly River district in lieu of other clothing. River and at Lake Murray. The frontispiece • uch few mosquitoes as succeeded in penetra shows Captain Hurley and Mr. McCulloch ting the dusky skins without detection, took of t he Australian Museum staff encamped at t heir fill and left unharmed , unless indeed, the the village of Totani in the Aramia Lakes native victim's blood was infected with the district. The hot and moist atmosphere of prevalent malaria germs, which would in that region was so agreeable to insect life, turn infect the mosq uito and render it a and to mosquitoes in particular, that the danger as well as a pest. For then it became vi. itors were unable to withstand t heir a carrier of the dread disease with every onslaught for more than a couple of days, likelil1ood of con veying the parasites to some and had to cut their visit short after a brief fresh host. Adult n atives become more or period of Culicine persecution. By day as less immw1e to malaria fever, even in districts well as by night the pests mai11tained their where it flourishes, but the children are its vicious attack, and t he vibrations of their 11 aturaJ victims, and provide an abundant myriad wings produced· a high-pitched hum supply of germs for distribution by the ming sound which was an incessant reminder Anopheles. THE A USTHALIAN M USE UM MA GAZINE 159
Stone Fishes and the A rt of Camouflage.
BY ALLAN R. l\kCULLOCll.
AMOU.B.,LAGR is a word made famous modified that some of the essential parts are C during the great war and is found only djffic ult to recognise, and such important in the most modern of English diction organs as the eyes, for example, are hidden aries. To camouflage an object is to disguise n way in crevices so that they may not be it by covering it with other things, changing seen by, and scare away the small crabs and its shape, or painting it with strange colours fiRhes for which t hese masterly products of to make it look like what it is not. Guns were painted in such a way that they became invisible to t he enemy planes, and their emplacements wcro so disguised as to appear like the less dangerous areas surrounding them. Though the tel'm is but a recent addit ion to the English vocabulary, Nature has ut.ilised the a1·t for aeons in her operations of at tack and defence among animals. Stone Fishes, for example, so closely resemble a rough stone or piece of eroded coral that they can be detected in their native environment only by those with keenest sight and trained to be ever watchful for just such frauds. Further, they are endowed with sharp spines on the head and the unlucky· number of thirteen more in a row along the back which have hidden poison glands secreting a venom as virulent as that of a snake. Therefore, lying motionless at t he bottom of a coral pool among surroundings it resembles so strangely, a Stone Fish is a menace to every thing approaching it. In parts of the South Seas it is known by the Polynesian name" Nofu " or The Waiting One, while my late friend l\1r. E . J . Banfield records several others in this delightful book The Confessions of a Beachcomber. Warty Ghoul was one of his choice, likewise Sea Devil, and Scorpion Fish, but it is perhaps best known as t he Stone Fish to laymen, and as Synanceja horrida to ichthyologists. But call it what you will, it is a very dangerous impostor, In t his dia g ram the back a nd dors al fin is repre and is rendered safe only when impaled ~ en t ed as de nude d or the thick s kin w hich bides thirteen n eedle -pointed spines. Each or these is provided with upon something akin to the four-pronged two venom-secre ting glands, a nd grooves on each side fi sh spear of our aboriginal brethren. con vey the poison from 1 hem to the tip af t he spines. [A.. R. McCullocll, del' Genealogically speaking, the Stone Fish and all its relations are not far removed t he art of camouflage lie in wait. Eony from our common Gurnet or Red Rock Cod, outgrowths are pitted and grooved so as to but evolution has changed their form so exactly resemble fractured surfaces and edges greatly that they no longer resemble their of stones, while the skin covering their bodies forebears. Even their skulls have been so is soft and fl abby and provided with many J (j() THE A UKT RALI AN l\1 U. 'EUNI: MAGAZINE
The Stoue-fi s h 1Synanceja hor ridal s o c lo<;e ly resembles a piece of eroded rock that the symmetrical outlines of its fins alone betray its identity . [ l'hoto. . I. R . .llrC'ullO"h. wa rt-like tubercles. That co,·erin_g omc n 1dcgatecl with g rey m a rbling a nd irregular of the tins i:-; ''ery thick , a nd effectively \\·hite st rcnl< s
ome years ago, whf'n collecting in Torres a mong the many edible products of a coral ~ 't rait, ome nathc children drew my atten reef, a la rge 'tone Fish is a welcome find, for tion to a Stone Fish which lay perfectly still our dusky brother has di. covered its flesh in a shallow pool, but t hough familiar with to be of excellent quality when the external specim ens preserved in t he Museum collec poison glands have been removed. But if tion, for the Stone Fish is not uncommon on he be u nfortunatc enough to kick against the parts of t he Queensla nd coast , I quite failed fish unawares, or t o tread on its upstanding to recognize its identity. It lay upon clear spines, he will surely suffer intense pain and sand barely covered by water, and was only may even die as a result of his injuries. about eighteen i nches from my eyes, but its The Australian aboriginals of t he Cape resemblance to a chunk of cora,l rock was so Bedford district, Queensla nd, prepare a perfect in both form and coJour that I actually model of the '· Dom on," as they call the believed it to be an inanimate stone, and tone Fish , for production at some of their searched for some srnall cra b or other animal initiation ceremonies whereat the youths upon it which I supposed to be the object of r eceive instructions upon many t hings. my native friends' intcre.'t. Only when I 'l'he model is exhibited a nd t he poisonouii
Beesw ax mode l or t he " Dornon " or Stone F is h (Syna nceja borridal used In the " Dornon " dance amon ~s t th e blacks or t he Mclvor R iver , Q ueens land . [l'hoto.- 11'. /:·. Roth. attempted to pick it up did its identity be nature of t he fish is described by t he elder.s come clear, and the children hurriedly with who pretend to scar·ch for and spear it. drew my arm, while warning me by signs of l?inally, one treads upon it, and acting as its dangerous nature. So T scooped it into a though h e were poisoned, utters atl smal l ha nd net, a nd r ealised for the first un e~trthly yell, a nd fa.lls to the ground in time how extraor dina rily well the fi sh is a.gony. * Notwith st~1nding such demonstra disguised in order that it may escape obser tive education, however, Stone Fishes a re so vation , both from its enemies and its prey. easily overlooked t hat t he keenest sighted Lying q uietJy in wait foe t he latter , it would natives occasiona lly pay the penalty of t heir be approached by small crabs and fish which failure to recognize the hidden danger. hclicYcd it to be no more than the rock ln t he year 1915, the quarantine a nd it resembled, and with its capaciou.s mouth partly opened and directed upwards, t he h ealth officer at Thur ·da,y Island, Dr. J. L. engulfing of tbe unfort unate visitor would be vVassell, was fishing upon a coral reef, a nd a. matter of but a few moment!'! . * Rot.lt-R.ecor
A Bush Gale11 dar. lY AMY E. MacK (MRs. The Wm·ld of Little Lives . By GLADYS H. LA UNCELOT HARRISON). Fourth Edition FROGGAT. Second Edition (Angus and (Angus and Robertson Ltd.), 1924. 3/ 6. Robe1tson Ltd.), 1~24. 5/- 'l'his charming little work was first published in 1909 and at once established 'J.'h e life-stories of many of our collllilon itself as a favourite with nature-lovers. 'l'he Australian insects are here revealed in book consists of a se1ies of sketches describing a manner which could not fail to appeal to flowers and the birds which may be observed those who delight in the study of nature. in the neighbourhood of Sydney dul'ing the The simple words and the lack of technical various months, starting with August when ities should make it particulary, desirable the bush and its denizens are beginning to in that other " world of little lives," the school feel that spring is coming. Mrs. Harrison has world. Wit h the advance of nature study, chosen the very best way of describing nature and the fostering and inculcation in the in recounting her experiences and observations younger generation of a love for the smaller while leisurely strolling through the bush, or and lowlier creatures, such a book should do along the gullies with open eye and ear quick much to assist those engaged in this campaign . to catch the significance and appreciate the The authoress has been fortunate in having beauty of little things which would escape as a sponsor her father, 1\llr. W. W. Froggatt, one whose mind was not attuned to the right note. For each month there is a useful list whose well known work Australian lnsect.s of the ftowcrsl blooming and birds breeding was the first general work on Australian ento and the book contains a number of delightful mology. The book is lavishly illustrated photographs of flowers, nests, young birds with drawings and photographs which further n < bush scenes. extend the utility of the work. THE A USTRALTAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 163
T he Story of the Oyster. BY T. C. RouoHLEY.
HE oyster ha.s an ancient and illustrious especially round logs of wood. A later and T pedigree. Ancient no doubt it is, for more careful observation convinced him it dates from a very old geological that the oyster " discharges an impregnating period; illustrious we must also concede it to liquid which has the appearance of milk ." be, for it has provided the most palatable This, of course, is quite correct, and is the diet for man from the earliest records of his first accurate account in literatme of any of existence. Mound<3 of oyster shells or kitchen the oyster's vital functions. middens accumulated by man in the stone Oysters have at many times been credited age, are still to be seen in many parts of the with some remarkable virtues, not the least world, and embedded in them are often important being their rejuvenating effect on found the primit ive stone implements which the human system, but in Pliny's eyes it was were employed by these ancestors of ours a regular panacea. '' We will take the present to force open the shell. opportunity," he says, " of stating all the 'fhere are no legible records of this remote medical properties that are attributed to age, and t herefore the name of the first oysters. They are singularly refreshing to person who ate oysters is unknown. This is the stomach, and tend to restore the appetite. unfortunate. He is worthy of a monument Luxury, too, has imparted to them an ad " more lasting than brass." ditional coolness by burying them in snow, The earliest account of the oyster we have thus making a medley of the produce of the in literature dates probably from the time tops of the mountains and the bottom. of the of Aristotle, the Greek philosopher and sea.. Oysters are slightly laxative to the naturalist, who lived from 384 to 322 B.O. bowels ; and boiled in honied wine, they Not sati<3fied with a superficial view of nature, relieve tenesmus, in cases where it is unat Aristotle endeavoured to find out something tended with ulceration. They act deter about the internal structure of such animals gently also upon ulcerations of the bladder. as he was familiar with, and how they :E oiled in their shells, unopened j~1st as they propagated their young. H e concluded that come to hand, oysters are marvellously oysters grew from mud by spontaneous efficacious for rheumatic defluxions. Calcined generation. Now, the oyster has been oyster shells, mixed with honey, allay blamed for many things in its time, but affections of the uvula and of the tonsillary this reflection on its ancestry was sufficient glands: they are similarly used for impos to make it turn in its shell. thumes of the parotid glands, inflamed It is to the ancient Romans, however, tnmonrR, and indurat,ions of t,he ma,m illae. that we owe most of our knowledge of the Applied with water, these ashes are good for impottant part played by the oyster as an ulcerations of the head, and impart plump article of diet in these early times. Roman ness to the skin in females. They are sprink literature abounds with references to the led, too, upon burns, and are highly esteemed oyster. Pliny the Elder (23-78 A.D.), for as a dentifrice. Applied with vinegar, they instance, gives us quite a lot of information are good for the removal of prmigo and about its virtues and the veneration in which pituitous eruptions. E eaten up in a raw it was held in the first century of the Christian state, they are curative of scrofula and of era. Evidently following the lead of Aristotle, chilblains upon the feet." Pliny also informs us that it developed from A formidable array, indeed. What a mud, but added that the mud must be in a fortune Pliny would have made if be had but putrid state. He went even further, and lived at the present time ! stated that it also developed from foam The first centmy A.D. and a century or that has collected round ships which have two previously, have been referred to as the been lying for a long time in the same position, gastronomic age of ancient Rome. During this about posts driven into the earth, and more era the Romans were renowned for their 164 THE AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
Mound of oyster s hells, commonly termed a kitche n midden, accumulated by the abo rl ~ ln es on the banks of t he Richmond River , New South Wales. [Photo.-T. C. Rouglllfy.
sumptuous banquets, and enormous numbers Lake Lucrinus, near Rome. Here he trans of oysters were consumed, Pliny stating that planted oysters which were collected from the palm was awarded to them as a most other parts of Italy and t he Mediterranean, exquisite dish. The consumption of immense for in their new environment they were found numbers of oysters appears to have been to develop to a larger size and to acquire a regarded as an indication of refinement, fl.a vour far surpassing that of the oysters as an accomplishment to be emulated at all grown in t heir original habitat, Orata's costs, and the names of several persons who enterprise was rewarded by the accumulation rather excelled in the nohle art have been of a large fortune. handed down to us. One, Aulus Vitellius, In mediaeval times and up till about the a Roman emperor (15-16 A.D.), whose feats 'sixties or 'seventies of last century, the of gluttony have probably never been oyster was held almost in reverence, and surpassed before or since, is credited with its virtues were extolled in the most extrava having eaten one hundred dozen oysteTs at gant language. Poems were written about one sitting. Vitellius should be the patron it and odes were written to it. Listen to saint of all oyster growers. t his : '' The Oyster ! The mere writing of Cicero himself admitted that he had a the word creates sensations of succulence special predilection for them, but t ells us gastronomical pleasure!':, nutritive food, easy confidentially that he could renounce them digestion, palatable indulgence-·then go without difficulty. Needless to say, posterity s leep 1n· peace I...... T . ru · e, t rue, oh has not believed him. oyster ! Thou art the best beloved of the The first person to form artificial loved!"* oyster bed'3 was Sergius Orata, who, about *"The Oyst.er: Where, how and when to find, 195 B.O. established them at Baire, on breed, cook ancl eat i t ." Anon 1861. THE A USTH.ALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 165
Stone knives used b y the Aus t r a lian aborigines to cut the mus cles of the oys ter so that it may be removed from the shell. (Phot.o.- T. 0. RO 't(JIIley.
In Australia, the hi~tory of the oyster oysters was a superior product to that manu dates bacK a long way before the advent of factured from dead shelis, for there appea.red European~, for it form ed one of the prjucipal to be more life in it. U niortunately there articles o£ diet of the aborigines who inhabited was more body in it also. it was customary these shores, and to this day are to be seen to stipulate in contracts that the lime to be the huge mounds of shells left b~r them on the used must be the product of live oysters. banks of many of the coastal streams. As settlement progressed the demand for Probably the largest of t hese iR to he oyster shell lime grew apace, and it requires seen on the north arm of the Richmond River. little effort of imagination to conjure up the This mound extends for hundreds of yards, enormous havoc played on the natural beds and is several feet in width and depth. by the lime burners. As the population in Thousands of tons of shells have been used creased, so, in proportion, did the demand for by the oyster cultivators to top-dress the oysters for edible purposes, until at Jast the mud flats which in their original condition inevitable happened-the snpply was insuf were too soft to support the oysters it was ficient to meet the l'aquirements, and legisla desired to mature there. Large quantities t ive action was 1endered necessary in have also been used to form the footpaths of prohibiting, under a heavy penalty, the Ballina. And still many thousands of tons bw·ning of live oysters for lime: remain. Fossicking amongst such heaps Having depleted the natural supply, the one frequently comes upon the stone imple men engaged in the trade were forced to ments used by the aborigines for cutting the devise artificial means of culture. In a new muscles of t he oysters when removing them project such as this, it was but natural that from the shells. These primitive knives the first attempts at cultivation should vary from three quarters of an inch to two closely follow the lines of those methods which inches in length, and are fairly constant had proved successful in other countries: in shape. They were obtained by knocking The Hon. Thomas Holt, a member of the sma1ler pieces of water-worn stones in such New South Wales legislature had, about this a way that at least one edge would be rea-son ably sharp. tjme, visited France, the home of oyster culture, and had studied the various systems When our first colonists began to settle adopted there. Consequently, on his return in the coastal districts, oysters were found in about 1870, he constructed channels, or most of the estuaries in extreme abundance. " claires " as they were termed in France, on The supply appeared to be inexhaustible. the banks of Gwawley Bay, George's River, But the shells, which are rich in lime, were after the most approved French fashion. requisitioned for use in the mortar required in These channels when completed, aggregated the government offices, chur•ches and private some thirty miles in length, were twenty residences alike. 'Little damage would have two feet wide, and of sufficient depth to resulted if use had been made only of the retain from two to four feet of water at low dead shells which everywhere abounded, tide. The inlet and outflow of water were but it was found that lime made from 1i ve regulated by means of fto od.gates and dams 106 THE A U 'TRALIAN MU, 'EUM MAGAZINE exactly as had proved so emin ent ly successful cultivation may he said to have begun. in France. Upwards of two huudred men Oyster farmers now began to lay out sticks, were employed and many thousands of stones, and shells to catch spat and support pounds expended in their construction. it till it developed to maturity. Th e areas They were stocked with oysters obta.ined under cultivation w·ere increased yearly, new from Port Hacking, Cowan, Brisbane ~Tater , methods were evolved and a higher degree and Pittwatet. For a number of reasons they of eliiciency attained (1.S the lessees began were a failure. Holt had reckoned without to acq uire a better know ledge of the peculiat· the heat of t he Au tralian sun. which raised ities of their product, until gradually the tempera t u re of the still water to a degree t he industry developed into the extensive which the oyster could not withstand, and one it is to-day. The various methods of large quantities \TCI'e also smothered by cultivation in vogue on the coast of New
Present day view of channels, or " clair~>," constructed on the shores of Gwawley Bay. Geor~e 's River, to mature oysters obtained from Port Hacking, Cowan and elsewhere. Great hopes of these were entertained but, unfortu natE'ly, were not justified. [Photo.- T . C. Rouglllcy. depositions of silt . After a trial extending South \Vales at t he present tim e will be over a period of two or three years the whole described in a la.ter issue of this .NlAGAZTNE. project was abandoned. There are several species of oysters found For a considerable time after this experi on the Australian coast, but only two are of ment, oyster growers exhibited an entire commercial value, t he rock oyster ( Ostrea. lack of enterprise, little more being done than cucullata), and the so-called mud oyster the transplanting of oysters from localities ( Ostt·ea. a.nga.si), Of t hese, t he rock oyster where growth was slow to more favourable is far and away the most important, not situations where development wa.s more only on account of 1ts greater abundance rapid, until 1896, when organised systematic and wider disttibution, but a.lso because of THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 167
The Rock Oyster (0strea cucullata). This , the principal Austr aUan oyster of commerce, although s maller than the Mud Oyster, is far s uperior In delicacy of flavour. The average weight is about two ounces, but one example weighed half a pound a nd m easured 6 x 4 x 2 inches. T he illus tration is slightly above the na tural size. [Phot.o.-T. C. Roughlev. its superior edible and keeping qualities. by means of bamboos for a very long time. On the '"est coast of Australia it is found It occurs also on the North Island of New as far south as the 30th parallel of south Zealand but in much smaller quantities latitude (about 150 north of Perth), and ex than on the Australian coast. tends right round the northern, eastern, The habitat of the mud oyster extends and south-eastern seaboard as far as Gipps from the Leeuwin along the whole of the south land Lakes in Victoria, where, however, it is coast, and on the east coast as far north as not common. On the south coast of Aus the Clyde River in New South Wales, where tralia it does not occur at all. It thrives it is now scarce. In the early days of the best between the Tropic of Capricorn (Rock colony the mud oyster was found on all the hampton) on the north and the border rivers sout h of and including the Clarence, between New South Wales and Victoria but at the present time it is extinct north of on the south. North of Rockhampton it the Clyde, although large quantities of shells is quite prolific, but, owing to the great are still to be found. It thrives best at Port rise and fall of the tide, and the heat of Lincoln near Adelaide, and for this reason the tropical sun, the shell remains stunted is sometimes known as thePortLincoln oyster. and crinkled and therefore the oyster No mud oysters are marketed in New South is of little commercial value. The main Wales, but considerable quantities find their fishery for the rock oyster is carried on in way to the Me! bourne and Adelaide markets, New South Wales and to a less extent in where it brings only from one-third to one Queensland. It has a wide range outside half the price of the rock oyster, which is Australian waters, being found in India and imported in large quantities from New South also in .Japan, where it has been cultivated \¥ales and Queensland. From here, also, 168 THE A USTRAL £AN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
T he Mud Oys ter (Ostrea angasi). Although of no commercial value in New South Wales, considera ble quantities are marketed In Victoria a nd South Aus tralia. The Illustration is a little less tha11 natural size, but one s pecimen meas ured 9 x 5 ~ x 2 ~ inches and weighed t wo pounds. [ l'hoto.- 7'. C'. Rougltley.
considerable numbers are exported to Western t he bottom happen to be firm the oyster will Australia, particularly during the winter continue to live and thrive, but if it should months. drop into soft mud it soon becomes smothered. The term · · mud oyster .. is really a mis Another characteristic difference between JlOmer, for it cannot live when submerged in t he two species is that t he rock oyster lives and mud. No true oyster can. When it has flourishes both between tide marks and below completed it development as a free-swimming low tide to very considerable depths, while larva, it must fasten its shell to some ohject the mud oyster is rarely, if ever, found above iu the water or perish, but, whereas the rock low tide level. Then, too, as regards their keeping qualities, the rock oyster will live oyster will contin ue to grow along the surface out of water for upwards of two weeks in for a very considerable time afterwards, summer and three weeks in winter. The forming a large and secure area of attach mud oyster, however, usually succumbs in a ment, the mud oyster soon grows out from few days after removal. Moreover, for its base, which is therefore relatively small. ? elicacy of flavour t he Australian rock oyster Owing to its large size, it usually becomes 1s probably unsurpassed by any oyster detached and falls to the bottom. Should found elsewhere in the world. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 169
The Fruit-Bats, or "Flying-Foxes," of A ustralia
BY F.LLis LE G. 'l'ROUGHTON. HOUGH the marsupials greatly pre feeds almost exclusively uponfruitsandcauses T ponderate in numbers, and doubtless vast economic damage in the orchards. in interest too, yet a knowledge However, there may be some measure of of the non-marsupials is essential to a full comfort to orchardists in -the fact that of the appreciation of our fascinating pouched ten large bats occurring in Australia only animals. In fact we become so used to six are destructive to fruit, while nature's thinking of Australia as the continent of halance happily '' tilts the loss with gain " marsupials that we are apt to forget that by providing Australia with forty species apart from a few introduced rodents and the of smaller bats, n.U of which eat myriads of domestic animals there are a great many harmful insects. These sensitive winged more non-marsupial furred animals native mammals are therefore fl·iends of man, to Australia than were ever brought here by taking up the night watch in the birds' man's agency. battle against our insect pests. For instance there are about fifty native However, to commence our brief account species of bats but their flying habit and of the Australian fruit-bats, it seems appro almost nocturnal mode of life render them priate to begin with the local species. most difficult to observe or collect ; rarely appearing before sunset they slip stealthily THE GRRY -HEADED FRUIT-BAT OR FT_,YING into the dusk from sombre gullies, caves, FOX. hollow trees, or even, as with small insect One of the larger o.f its liind, this species eating species, from under the curled up bark (Pteropus polior:ephalua) is known only too of dead trees. Very little is known, therefore, well in the coastal regions of eastern Australia, of the habits of ba.ts, and they are often re which it inhabits from Cape Howe, and garded with superstitious awe and as occasionally as far as Melbourne in the south, omens of ill-luck, few people realising the to Cape York in the north. As the name· high place these flying mammals occupy suggests, the grey head is a notable feature. in the classification of the animal kingdom, as is the reddish yellow mantle of longer next the order Primates containing man and hair on the neck and shoulders, the colour the creatures nearest allied to him. being continued round onto the bl'east, while the rest of the body is of a sombre blackish TRE LARGE AND SMALL BATS. grey. The group of bats falls naturally into These bats, in common with theiT kind, two sections, the large fruit-eating and the usually associate in large numbers, forming small insect-eating kinds, the two sections camps or colonies during the day in dense together forming the order of bats which scrub or shaded gullies. The camps often have aptly been named Chiroptera, or hand cover several acres and include thousands of winged mammals, because the four fingers individuals, ·,;hich hang head downward by form slender rods which support the wing their strongly clawed feet, being so crowded membranes ; the thumb only is free and at times that they even cling to each other. ends in a hooked claw which is used for J\1r. J. S. P. Ramsay observed a colony of climbing and suspension. The largest fruit bats covering about eleven acres, while bat known is the Kalong, or Malay Fox-bat, Mr. Sid W. Jackson describes an immense which may have a wing-spread of five feet, camp in a gully between high hills near while the smallest insect-eating species Scone, N. S. Wales, where the creatures found in Australia has a tiny mouse-like were hanging all over the trees in masses Lody no wider than a. penny. of black pear-shaped objects, the noise and InNew South Wales but few persons trouble stench arising from the camp being amazing. themselves about any save the large fruit-bat, As an indication of the numbers present, familiarly known as the ·· flying-fox, ' ' which Mr. Jackson stated that forty of them were l/0
A tree- top In a ~ ull y near Scone, N .S.W. loaded with Grey- headed Fruit -bats tPtcropus poliocc phalus ), jllv ln ~ s ome idea of the vns t numiJcrs tJresent in a camp cove rin~ several acres . Seen in s ilhouette the ba t ~. wrnptJed In their wln~-rnemb ra n es. seem like pear-shaped ohjects or ~ ~ ~a nti c cocoonq, but in the thicke r forest!l they mer~e with the Indistinct blotc hes or s huclow cast by the s u rro un c lin ~t fo lia ~e . l l'ho to. ./. '· /'. l :•tul•ttu. shot in one s mall tn·<· by orH' person . and and blossoms bc•i11~ insufli<·i cnt to slak<' their allogcLhcr during the ctft<'r;won ov(')" t\\"o hun thir:;t. During t h<· hot summer days the dred were hot by fh·c guns. The c·alll p sites ln1.ls may I)(' s<'<' ll d ropping from the branches Ill'<' u ·unlly near "'!1tt'r, a. the hcn,·y- hod it•d to :-;kim O\"<'r the :-; ud;H·c· of t he water. dipping fruit bat · mu ·t drink at time.· like othcr int o it :'llightly at intrt·,•al:s, which npp<'ar::: furred animals, tlH· s \\'<'d juiccs ohta in<·d to b<• thcil" \\"<\,\'of drinkjng whil(on th e from lheil' natural food of fruit. bc• rTi <•s. \\" ing, a::; do ~pi n e- tnil <' d :-:""jft::;. THE AUSTRALIAN l\1. USEUl\1. MAGAZI NE 171
the fore and hind limbs. Bats, on the contrary, can fty as strongly as birds, t he flight being effected by continuous upward and downward strokes of the wings, carried on as long as muscular power permits. The wings of our fruit - bats are distin guished by having the index or fore-finger clawed as well as the thumb, and as these larger bats live mostly in the open the wings have many uses. While the bat is feeding, one foot only, or the hooked thumb and the foot of one side are used to grip the branches while the same members of t he other side are used to grasp the food . Then, too, the vel vety wing membranes are wrapped around the body during sleep, and serve as coverlets for the fruit-bat babies. Again in the t ropical forests of northern Queensland the membranes function as umbrellas during the heavy rainstorms of those localities. At other times they act as useful blinds against the sun's glare, and even as fans in t he tropical heat. When travelling up the Fly River in Papua with Captain Hurley's recent expedition,
All Fruit-ba ts b an~ head dow n w ard w hen s leeping. T his is the local grey - headed s pecies wra pped in its wings which act as umbrellas a gains t the r ain and as blinds to s ha de the e yes from the s un's glare. (Plloto.-G. G. Glutton.
THE WINGS AND THEIR SEVERAL USES. Bats possess all the features t ypical of the class of furred animals ·or mammals, which includes man, producing their young alive and suckling t hem with milk. They are, however, clearly distinguished from all other furred animals in possessing the power of true flight, for which t heir fore limbs are specially adapted. Untrained observers easily mistake small marsupials for rats, but the great velvety-brown or black wings of the bats render t hem recognisable at once. There is a kind of spurious flight such as A Grey-beaded Fruit- bat wit h her young. Fruit- bats our " Flying Opossums " possess, which is produce only on e young one at a birth, whic h clings merely the prolongation of a downward closely to the mother's breast during flight a nd in repose. The pa rent's wings function as cover lets for h er ba by leap by the aid of a well developed skin-fold dur ing s leep, or as fans in the noon-day heat. stretched along the sides of t he body between [Photo.- G. C. Glutton. 172 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUl\I MAGAZINE
Mr. A. R. lVIcCulloch made some interesting a taste for the widely cultivu.ted fruits which notes of which the following is an extract. have been introduced into Australia. They '·We met with several flying-fox camps along devour most kinds of fruit, eating apricots, the river banks, and were amazed at the won peaches, pears, and even loquats and apples derful sight as they rose into the air at with equal gusto. The grey-headed fruit our approach. 'l'hey were clustered together bat is undoubtedly one of the greatest pests on all the trees in a selected area a11d many with which our orchardists have to contend, of the females were carrying babies, which the amount of inj Ul'Y done by a flock in a clung rlosely to their breasts. When hang single night being enormous. They quarrel ing quietly their feet were either side by and g01·ge in t.he fruit trees, knocking down side, or on opposite sides of the branches quantities and wasting far more than they according to the thickness, and their wings eat, in their all-night banquet at some luck were either folded loosely around t hem or less orchardist's expense. They occur in moved to and fro as fans. They crawled vast numbers in southern Queensland, and about when di~turbed, reaching out for the necessity for drastic treatment of the pests branches with their long fore limbs, and mov is confirmed by a. press report that the ing freely and safely by means of their '' Queensland South Coast Crows and Flying hooked thumbs and strongly clawed feet. foxes Board " in 1923 destroyed 3,173 fruit I noticed that when settling in trees, each bats in eight months. grasped the branch with its feet while the body was in an obliquely upright position, METHODS FOR DESTRUGTION. thence swinging over immediately to the At Gloucester recently, according to another head downward position, the weight causing press report, it was decided to attack the the branch to bend considerably. flying-foxes in a secluded haunt which " A hawk settling on a tree near a large experienced bushmen had known them to number of bats caused a great disturb occupy for some time. An advertisement ance, occasionally swooping among them, was inserted in the local newspaper announc apparently trying to secuTe a young one. ing the time and place for a "shoot." A However, it avoided the sharp tusks and well-eq nipped party turned out but the bats powerful molars of the adults, which appear had vanished like a dream, seeking fresh to be expert at biting, wounded ones snapping and safer quarters. Under the heading savagely at anything near them, and chewing " Saw the advertisement," it is stated that sticks to fragments. There is much fighting the next·time a camp is discovered it is not ~nd noisy squabbling in the camps, and there intended to advertise the "shoot." is a quieter calling note which is, perhaps, With the exception of organised d.ri ves the mother's call to its young." by shooting parties and the use of the gun by owners of orchards, no very feasible THE FOOD OF OUR LOCAL SPECIES. proposal has been mooted for the destruction of bats or protection of the orchards. lVIany At that restless hour when the setting sun methods have been tried with varying casts a glow, against which the moon struggles success, including a kind of flame-thrower to make its rays effective, the quarrelsome which, as seems to be the way of these creatures awake to scream and squabble gentle implements, merely succeeded in before flying off in long files in search of bw·ning the operators very thoroughly. " fruits in season." '!'hough able to fly quite Attempts made to destroy the flying-foxes well in the sunlight the bats are mainly wholesale at their camps by the use of poison nocturnal, returning to camp in the early mixed with honey resulted in failure, the dawn to wrangle and contend for the highest animals being such greedy fcedeTs that the and best branches. poisoned food was devoured by a few bats Their chief natural food is the fruit of before the main body could claim their share. the Moreton Bay, and other native figs, but The fumes of cyanide released beneath clus the fragrant blossoms of the eucalypts, as ters of bats is said to have destroyed la.rge well as the lillipilli and othe!' berries are numbe1·s, though I do not know of the de also favoured. Unfortunately, too, as with finite use of this method, which would involve some marsupials, the fruit-bats have acquired considerable risk to its users. THE A USTRATJ IAN MUSEUM .MAGAZINE 173
THJJ: USll: OF THJJ; N.\ME" FLYlNO-FOX." under the load of bats. On close approach a strong musky odour became apparent, and Though known t he world over as flying a loud incessant chattering was heard. foxes, it will hat·d ly be necessary to emphasise MacCillivray stated that apart from man, that these large bats have no near relation the Wedge-tailed Eagle was this fruit-bat's ship \\'ith the fo. either in classification or chief enemy. 1£ this report be a fact, it origin, beyond tht'ir inclusion together in supplies another argument for those who the class of furred animals or mammals. maintain that the huge eagles have their The name has no doubt been derived from den ni ie uses as scavengers and exterminators the generally reddish, finely-chiselled, fox-like of certain pests. head, with its erect ears and a somewhat craft,y expression typical of Reynard. Like the largest fruit-bat, our smallest variety, known as the "Little Fruit-bat," All the large fruit-bats of Australia have occurs in Queensland, about Mackay and mnch the sa.mc form anrl habits, but one R.ockhampton. The head and body com variety, the Spectacled Bat, is perhaps bined measure only two and a third inches, worthy of mcntjon. Tt is our· largest species, the snout is very long and narrow, and the fur is unusually long and reddish-brown in colour. Though of so small a size, this bat is said to be very destructive to fruit. The • tongue affords a striking feature, as it is highly extensible and covered with lo:qg fleshy bristles, which in association with tlie long pointed snout, suggests that the tongue may be used for brushing up the soft pulp of fruits, and even insects, as do the honey~ eating birds, and the Honey Mouse described in the last number of this MAGAZINE. Quite the weirdest of our fruit-bats. how ever, have apparently forsaken a fruit diet, the stomach of a specimen having been found to contain nothing but fragments of beetles and flies. They arc known as the tube-nosed bats because the nostrils are elongated into a pair of long diverging tubes which disting uish them from all other bats. Apparently no suggestion has ever been made as to the uses of these tubular nostrils, though they ; ·.. doubtless serve some special purpose. When one glances at the picture of the tube-nosed bat shown here, it seems hard to cr edit The Spectacled Fruit Bat derives its name that it came from the Monaro tablelands from the pale brown ring of colour around each eye. The largest species occurring in Australia, in N. S. Wales, as these creatures are very it has a bead and body le ngth of 12 inches. rarely seen, though they occur through 1t Is found in n orthern Australia and s outbern New Guinea. out Queensland and Ne'v Guinea. Apart [After Gould. from the nostrils, they are noted for the small yellow spots which are invariably having a body-length of twelve inches; scattered over the wings and the leathery occurring in northern Australia and New ears, and the fringe of fleshy lobes around Guinea, it derives its name from the pale the insides of the lips, which apparently brown ring of colour around each eye. A:s assist in holding wriggling insect captives. early as 1848, John MacGillivra.y found thiS The habits of these extraordinary ape-faced species in " prodigjous numbers " on the bat.s arc pi·actically unknown, and specimens wooded slope of a hill on F itzroy Island, are very much desi red for the Museum N.E. Qucem;land, many branches bending co llection. The very monkey-like face strik- 174 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSE OM MAGAZINE
will have to go back still earlier before meeting with creatures intermediate between bats and other furred animals.
THE ABORIGINALS AND FLYING-FOXES. Being blossom and fruit-eaters the flesh of the fruit-bats should be sweet, but their rather repulsive appearance and offensive odour is such that one would not relish the experiment of tasting it. The aboriginals, however, have quite a penchant for the bats, eating, them with gusto and apparently regarding the odour as a fillip to flatter the palate. The blacks capture them by lighting fires under the sleeping creatures, which are soon stupefied by the smoke and easily knocked down with boomerangs and sticks ; they also secure them by waiting in the trees and knocking down the approaching bats with long sticks. Amongst the many legends of the aborig inals is one concerning the lizard and the flying-fox, which supplies an ingenious, if somewhat ingenuous, explanation as to why A tube-nosed bat from the Monaro District, New South bats hang upside down. Briefly it runs Wales. Though of the fruit- bat order, it has adopted a n insect diet ; it may be readily distln~uished from all that the lizard, in revenge for some wrong, other bats by the nostrils bein~ elongated into tubes, the placed prickly caterpillar nests outside the function of which has never been discovered. The monkey-like face strikingly illustrates the close re- flying-fox's house. By and bye the flying lationship of bats to monkeys in animal classification. [Photv.- G. 0 . Olutton. fox's gin came along and the baby cried because it was covered with sores from sitting ingly illustrates the close relationship of the on the prickles. In the general excitement bats to the monkey group in animal classifi the parents sat on the prickles too, and the cation. soreness became so intense that they could not sit down, having to hang by their legs As to the origin of bats, it is a remarkable ever afterwards. And the lizard said " serves fact that amongst the host of extinct animals you right." which are known, none have been discovered Though fruit-bats would appear singular in any way connecting bats with other in that they have no redeeming ·feature mammals. Remains of bats very closely as far as man is concerned, orchardists may resembling existing kinds are traceable from find comfort in remembering their many very early geological times, showing that the helpful little insect-eating cousins with which bat order is a very ancient one, and that we I hope to deal in a future article.
The preparation of an aboriginal group is models will be obtained through the kind being proceeded with. Mr. Ernest Wunderlich, co-operation of the Aborigines Protection F.R.A.S., Trustee, has generously presented Board, and it is hoped that a striking exhibit will result, worthy of the subject and the the necessary funds and made arrangements donor. · with Mr. Rayner Ho:ff, the well known sculptor to carry out the work. It is proposed that Early in January Mr. Wunderlich will the group should consist of three figures, depal't on an extended tour of northern a man throwing a boomerang, with a woman Africa and the South of Spain where he will and child in the back-ground. Suitable investigate the ancient R.oman cities. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 175
Destruction of the Whitsunday Group Fringing Reefs ;
BY E. H. RAINFORD.
RIOR to 1918 a visit at low tide to the water mark, are to be found on all the islands P fringing reef of any island of the Whit of the Whitsunday Group. But these were sunday Group would have been some in existence long before the destruction of thing to remember to the end of life. Every the reefs in question and are now in the same where the eye would have rested upon masses position relative to high water mark as before of beautiful live corals, many tipped with the 1918. And also, if a sudden rise of the reef loveliest shades of colour. Alcyonarians of occurred, the exposed portion with the corals the most varied shapes and hues ; giant would be swept by the waves into the lagoon clams with their brilliantly coloured mantles; at the back of the reef ; this has not taken sponge growths of all shapes and shades place, the dead coral in many places being growing so closely together that it would be still in situ. Lastly, no alteration in the land necessary to walk on the corals in order to level has been observed and no alteration progress, for not an inch of bare rock or coral has taken place in the level of the tide gauges. boulder was unoccup1ed. F1sh of all de~:~ 3. If contamination of the water by silt criptions and colours swam about in the pools, had any hand in the death of the corals it myriads of mollusca, crustacea and other must have been, in the writer's opinion, to a animals found the means to support life. very slight extent. It is obvious that every Were a visit paid to the same island now a rainy season large amounts of mud in sus scene of the utmost desolation would meet pension must be carried out to sea by the the gaze; the corals dead, broken to pieces rivers and must contaminate the water on and blackened by dec-1y; the clam shells the fringing reefs, and if that were sufficient gaping wide and empty; the alcyonarians to cause the death of coral none would ever and sponges disappeared ; fish and crustacea be found alive inside the Great Barrier. conspicuous by their absence ; a scene with To the writer's knowledge, in the harbour of hardly any life in it g\ven over to a scattered Bowen coral reefs flourished prior to 1918, growth of. weed and sea moss. What could although for several weeks at a time the be the reason for this destruction 1 What water would be discoloured during the rainy brought about this desolation 1 It was a season. It may be taken therefore that riddle the writer set himself to solve. occasional contamination with silt does not There are four principal reasons for the affect the growth of coral except when the death of co'ral. contamination is constant. Of course some 1. Lowering of water temperature. corals are more susceptible than others, and 2. Raising of land level and consequently require permanently pure water to be able of the reef level. to exist. 3. Contamination of the water with silt. 4. There remains then only the theory of 4. Toxic effect of fresh water. the access of fresh water to account for the l. We may dismiss at once any idea of a destruction of the reefs and this the writer lowering of the ocean temperature; it would considers proved for the following reasons. affect the coastal climate, which has not been In the first half of January, 1918, two severe observed, and it would cause an immense cyclones struck the North Queensland coast, mortality in other marine creatures which the first having its centre at Babinda and the has not taken place. second at Mackay. The rainfall during that 2. It is true that at a comparatively recent period was enormous. For example, the fall period, geologically speaking, there has been in Bowen was twenty-six inches in five days, an upheaval in the coastal area of North and Bowen is a dry locality ; further north Queensland, for ledges of pudding stone and the fall was probably double. Such an conglomerate of recent origin, above high immense body of water passed down the 176 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
rivers Johnston, Burdekin, Elliott, Don and small crustacea; there was also a great de others that, it was stated at the time, a coastal crease in the numbers of the Pentaceros steamer, eight miles from land, drew fresh variety of starfish. These facts appear to water in a bucket alongside. This of course t he writer to be a reasonable explanation of may be hearsay, but, whether a fact or· not, the destruction of the fringing reef corals, a it cannot be doubted than an enormous body destruction t hat was carried upwards of of fresh water found its way down the twenty miles from the mainland towards the coast. Barrier. When recently in Sydney the writer related these circumstances to Mr. C. Hedley, then attached to the staff of the Australia,n Museum, who was greatly interested, and who on his assuming the position of Scientific Director of the Great Barrier Reef Com mittee, asked the writer if he would take him to some of the reefs round Bowen to see the destruction with his own eyes. This was arranged; Mr. Hedley was profoundly im pressed and agreed that the theory advanced
Coincident with this rainfall was a period of low night tides ~indtman I. which take place every year at the full moon of January ; the lowest tide in January regis C. Conwoy tered five inches on the tide i gauge, which means that at I low water the greater part of Map showing localltles referred to in the reef would be exposed and this article. the remainder just awash; while the tide was falling to its \ by the writer to accoru1t for lowest and again rising, the reef the destruction of the reefs was would be exposed for at least two hours to a reasonable one. One fact remains to be the influence of any fresh or brackish water accounted for ; how is it that this destruction on the surface ; time enough to destroy any of coral does not happen more frequently, organisms susceptible to its toxic effect. seeing that cyclones are of frequent occm In proof of the great amount of fresh water rence on the Queensland coast '? in the sea at the time referred to, the writer It may interest some to know whether observed dead on the beach, numbers of sand the reefs show any sign of recovery, and if so crabs-, Gephyrea and other worms and some to what extent. From the writer's notes THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 177
made during the past winter when visiting JJ!l ad1·ep01·a kent'i (apricot colour), Stylopora some of the reefs the following description palmata, Jvlad'l· epora convexa, Pocillopom will give an idea of their progress towards damic01·nis, in lesser quantities Jl1ad7·epom recovery. laxa, JV!illepom, M.adrepom muricata, Pachy In Port Denison the Stone Island and se7'is speciosa, M ad1·epo'ra fmndosa ; many lVIiddle Island reefs were such splendid ex very fine stools of Seriatopo-ra were observed amples of luxuriant coral growth that Saville and the beautiful rose-tipped 1VI ailrepora lon Kent in his work on the Barrier Reef devoted gipes was fairly abundant, and an occasional several photogravures to these islands; to-day Fungia lace1·a was met with. lVIost of the not a sign of surface coral is to be seen on corals were at the north end of the lagoon and either, nor any alcyonarians, clams, sponges, were decidedly scattered and for the most or other reef dwellers- a decaying blackened part adherent to broken pieces of old coral or mass of coral detritus is all that exists. The vagrant stones. Holborne Island, twenty same may be said of Saddleback, Olden, two miles from the mainland, should be Grassy, and Molle Islands, all close to the more advanced in reconstruction than any mainland, but in t he last two a few Po-rites other, being so much nearer the Barrier, but are beginning to show. Armit Island , about curiously enough this is not the case. The five miles from the mainland, shows a begin description of the Armit Island reef will ning of reconstruction, Po,rites are showing about fit Holborne Island, and the reasons more plentifully, averaging about six inches for its backwardness are not easy to de across. In the lagoon are to be found at wide termine. For one thing the Holborne reef intervals small stools of carmine-tipped is in a very exposed position and strong cur Pocillopom and lVI adTepom f'rondosa t ipped rents prevail at all times, which may have with heliotrope, some Stylopho-ra and very something to do with it. The writer did not occasionally a growth of Se'riatopom histrix. visit Long, Lindeman, and Haslewood Is On the South East reef are a fair number of lands, but from reliable information received Tridacna from three to six inches across, but it may be accepted as a fact that their reef it is very bare of life and weeds are plentiful. reconstruction is not further advanced than On the north west side of the island, in deep on Armit Island reef. water, a mass of boulders formerly bound to It must be borne in mind that when coral gether with Porites is now alive with massive destruction is alluded to this refers only t o Po·rites and Dipla;ria, forming platforms upon surface corals under a depth of eight or ten which exists a close growth of Pocillopora, feet ; at that depth and beyond they were J.V! ad1·epoTa and very elegant Seriatopora. not injured, and are as flourishing to-day as Whitsunday and H ook Islands have very before 1918. The question naturally presents little fringing reef and what there is remains itself, how long will it take for the reefs to be lifeless. Hamilton Island has a fine reef and restored to their former luxuriant growth ~ its present condition very much resembles And it is one difficult to answer. There are that of Armit as regards new growth of corals. so many factors in play which we are unable Porites and T -ridacna, the scouts of recon to see or interpret, the amount of shelter, struction, are beginning to show up, with strength of currents, presence or absence of here and there stools of Pocillopora and M ad sandbanks and other conditions, but at a repO?·a in the lagoon and on t he deep water rough guess the writer estimates that ; not edge of the reef. less than ten years are required for Hayman Island to be reconstructed, more favourable Hayman Island, 15 miles from the main conditions obtaining there, apparently, than land, is more advanced than any other reef elsewhere. It is doubtful if some will ever in the group. Sa.c1·ophytum and other soft be reconstructed. A fact worthy of remarl< corals are abundant ; in one spot on t he reef is the almost total absence of echinoderms sponge growth has taken complete possession, on some of the islands, though they are one variety having a marvellous resemblance abundant on the mainland. Hayman offered to fucus sea-weed. Tridacna about six one or two specimens of Holothu1·ia atra, inches a.cros~ are fairly abunda.nt on the deep Hook a solitary Linckia, Grassy and Armit water edge of reef. In the lagoon and on being equally niggardly. Specimens of Ac reef edge ~re found in moderate quantities, tinia are also rare on the same places. 17H T IJ I ~ A l S'I' H.A Lli\N MU. 'E U i\J l\I AGAZ I ~E
W hat I Found .
J)y A. H. ('m s iiO DI. <'.1•' .. \ .0 . l ' .
l 'hairman. ~ - <.; \\":dl',. :-.l•c-tiun, Hoyal \ ltslra)a-.ia n Orni lholol!i::.b' l nio11 .
K t hr days '' hen I was f-:<' Naturalis ts in a Queen s la nd jung le, about 5 ,000 feet above sea level. This is ty pical of the d en se fo r est ~ ro w th n ear the coas t. [ J> hoto.-.1. //. Chisholm. A q uizzical j ournalist gazed j udicio usly . n •nson with a n indi,·idua l wh o would go :l50 " Been out in the bush ? ·• he asked. m il< '~ to ·· j ust look ·· at a bird But the " No," J told him. ",Jut going ... j ud i<· ia I one was i nt <' rr:-; tecl enough to rc ~ um e ,Journa list ic <•yebrows lifted. " At this t h<' di "Eut;· pursued the q uestioner, amid faced species, known as the '' gizzie" or little chuckles, " didn't you get anything else? '' lorikeet, with just a sprinkling of the larger "Anything else?" You remember, reader, " bluies " (blue mountains), and " greenies " what the old American naturalist said : (scaly breasts). There wore other honey -eaters, " Whichever way I go I am glad I came."' or course,- notably the insistent soldier Well-- bird (miner )- but the only additional avine factors which emphasised the southern nature of the district were black-backed magpies, RENEWING OLD ACQUAINTANCES. grey thrushes, babblers (chatterers), a solitary brown tree-creeper, numerous grey butcher We (bota.nist and bird seeker ) dropped out birds, and a note which sounded very like the of the Rockhampton mail somewhere about 9 a.m. on the Saturday, yarned briefly with monotone of t he pretty shrike-tit. the lengthsman in charge of the little wayside For t he rest, our companions of the station and started off on a walk of nearly ten wayside were either birds which are common miles towards the coast. It was a dry tra mp to several States (the wagtail for instance) in more ways than one. The country was or species which, like the white-throated semi-barren forest, the odd pools beside the warbler (" bush canary "),and scarlet honey way were cattle-tra.mped, and not one house eater (" blood-bird "), may reasonably be showed up in the whole journey. But the looked for in almost any part of Eastern very nature of the landscape made for Queensland. It was of more than passing compensation. It was curiously like a interest to find rainbow-birds (bee-eaters) well-remerubered district in central Victoria. still common in the district, but even they I realised this subconsciously at first , and did not challenge attention so much as ~resently the idea became a pleasant convic the grey butcher-birds and their handsome tiOn through the sight and sound of merry black and white relatives. I know no other groups of fuscous honey-eaters chattering in district in which these rich-voiced birds are the tree-tops. F uscous means dusky, and so numerous. d~sky plumage indicates a plainly dressed b~d. ~ut lack of colour counted not at all in this case ; here was the " linnet " of boyhood THE ETHICS OF SNARING. days, not seen before in Queensland · and ~s ~certain back-street song says : " Ge~, ain't Speaking of butchers leads to a co~sider lt mce to meet a friend from your old town ! '' ation of an individual whose pursu1ts are much more bloody and much less justifiable . In southern Australia it is usual to find 1n " f " than those of any bird. Central Queensland th uscous country a prettier honey-eat er, coastal areas are favourite resorts of the . e yellow-tuft, a playful sprite about the 'possum snarer. All .along t~ e. ~vay we saw ~~e o~ a _sparrow, and just as assertive. evidence of his pernicious actiVIties. Snares be btrd Is stated to have been plentiful were set against every likely eucalypt and a out the Brisbane district before its favourite tea tree to the former of which Brer hucalypts were destroyed, butfor many years it 'Possum ' goes for a gum leaf diet , while the as been sought in vain. And now, when least flowers of the tea-tree provide the 'possum exp~cted , here it was showing up and showing equivalent for human "sweets." The s ~are ~ m a remote part of the central district. scheme is simple. A stout prop lean~d a.g~mst sooth, I felt like joining in one of the ani the tree is fitted with a noose of thm, pliable mated corroborees which half a dozen of the wire held in place by strin~ s lip~ed into a self-satisfied little creatures were holding cleft of bark. The noose is JUSt wide eno~gh up aloft. We could have exchanged some to admit the body of a 'possum, and JUSt rare reminiscences. flexible enough to arouse the cur~osity of the After that I would not have been surprised little animal as he meets it on hiS nocturnal to see the purple-crowned lorikeet, the only pilgrimage either up or down the fatally one of A:ustralia's honey-eating parrots not re convenient prop. Curiosity killed more t~an corded m Queensland · but it seemed that the a cat . The 'possum plays with _the stren wire, which gradually tightens Its ?-oose, screeching battalions 'of 'keets about the lo 18 cality nearly all belonged to the tiny red- and when he tries to get away he left l HO THE A U. "l'RALIAN l\IU. 'EUM MAGAZJNE swinging below the prop, with the deadly possum ~kin ~, and knowing that if you did strand binding tighter a nd tighter either not snHre t he a nimals someone else would . round his (or her·) body or· neck. I n the latt er and then sn,y whet her or not you would' case death is mercifully q uick in coming; embark on t he busines.· , inhuman as it is. but when the wire embraces t he body t he It i just a question wh ether snaring, which hapless animal must hang in agony until has none of the fairness of our old game of released by the snarer in his morning rounds. ·po ~ 1 1 m shooting by moonlight, should It is a ghastly encling for a Likeable anima l, not be proh i bite cl as cl efi nitely as is t hr more more so wh en t he mother instinct aroused by dangerous, but less cruel, practice of cyanid a suckling babe in its pouch impels a capt m·cd ing. Certainly at all events snarers should fe male to cling to life as long as possible. be compelled to observe a smaller noose: .A nd yet the snarers seem, on t he whole, this would be Jess effective in captures, but Ring-tail Opossums . T hese pretty anim als, about three pa r ts g r own , were obtain ed from a nest in the hollow of a t ree. [ Phot n. H . B urrell. a decent lot of men. " 1 hated the bu inc it would at least O' j ,re t he animal a q uick at fir t ., one of t hem told me, .. but it i death. The genui~e hunter \1'ould readily wonderful how callous a man gets after a do thi ; and for the other element- men whjle. The season should never have been who have gi,ren up steady jobs t o seek big opened t his year, much less at breeding t ime; cheques as 'possum sna rcrs, and those case but when every other fellow is snaring, hardened individuals who allow t heir catches and skins are high-priced, why should I be to swing from biting wire all day long out of it ?'' It is a nice problem in ethic . no con idcration at all is needed. ~ensiti vc noses may wrinkle at that question, but-what would you ? I magine yourself, A PATCH OF ,JUNt1LE. reader, a hard-working selector, knowing that W ell , to get on . Seven or eight miles from much cash was easily to be made out of t he railway and close to our farm house de ti- lX l ------nation \\'C strode grntdully into lhc shade of Nest and eg~s of the Whip -bi rd cPsophode!l o Hvaceus l whic h ran ~es from north-eastern Queens la nd to Victoria. T h e n est is gen e r 3 1Jy a b out s ix inc h es in diameter by two and a half deep, and is a l ways well con cealed. T h e e~gs a re us u a lly two in numbe r a n d the ground colour varies from pall' blue to a d elicate bluish-white . rcgent-bir·ds, whip-bil'ds, bower -bird:;, or uttered it,.., rcflccti,,e ·· K ar-r-r... But b.\· dragoon-birds (pittas). fart he g rca tcr port-ion of tbc a ,·inc population Nature must have a. fiu e sense for adjw;t of t he area belonged to the delightful fandly mont, however, and in this instance t he place which ornith ologiRts know as Muscicapidae, of tbe pitta among th e land-snails wns taken that is, fly-catchers and robins. The re. t less. by t he rufous shrikc-t hrnsh (Coll~tn'cincla rneg rufous, and whitc-shaftNl fantails wen· to he a·rhynclw), a brown-back cd ,fa wn-hreasted d en expected: so, in a tentative manner, ,,·ere izen of the brushes of north-ea. ·tern NewBouth the yellow-rumped robin (which, I had doubts Walesand sout h -eastern Queensland , having of finding so f