THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE
YoL. IlT.. No. :2. CONTENTS. April-.Jnn<'. 1927 .
A NJ;;w .MusBU.i\1 ExHJJHT-THJ~ Q uEENST.AND L nNcnnsH GROUP FrontispiPCf'
.EDITORTAL :J9
NOTJ~S AND NEWS 4-0 CRUJSTNG IN Tfill SANTA CRuz- E. /,(' a. Tmughton and A. A. Livi·ngstone 41
THE \\TAND"l!:RL'G ALBATROSS- J . R.J(-ingho·rn, C.l\l.Z.S. -1 ~
TKE QuEENSLANn Ll:'~ OFISH- Uilbert P. 1J1 hitle!J ;)(I
.FLTRTRER. NOTES uPO~ MAR Surr ~t\ L l3IRTH- Elli.s LP 0. 'Prmtghton :),,-·· L ECT CRES ;j{j
1~HE CARRIER Sum.r.- Jovce K. Alla.n ;)7
A \'1 ::>1T TO JENOL.\S- THE S KELETON CAVE--11. R . OraiJIJ 58
OR<:A NIC' EvoLOTTO"X-·C'. A nderson. l\I.A., D .Se... . Gl
\Vo~LBATS AXD TumR ,~VAYS-( 'hm·le~ BmTdf, C.M.Z., '.... 6U
THE .. R :msuRRJ ~< Trm ,. ~~AIL- 'Pvm Iredaf,., 71
l{lN H.w . 7:2
Published Quarterly by the Trustees of the Australi.an Museum, College Street, Sydney, in the months of January, Aprll, July, and October. - Subscription 4/ 4, including postage. Commuhlcations regarding subscriptions, advertising rates, and business matt"6rs generally in connectiQn with THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE should be addressed to the Secretary. The new Queensland Lun ~fls h ~ro up , which will s hortly be i nstalled in the Australian l\lnseum. Three Lungfishes are here s h own S\\irnml~£ amon~st weeds ( Va\lisneria) near a t·iver - bank. The originals o f the fis hes and weeds, and the freshwater m ussels 3 nd s n u lls which ure abo " h own , w ere s pec ia lly obtained front the Burnett Rive r, Queensland , for this !!roup. r l'ltntfl (,' I Published b.IJ t1te A wlfralian Jliuseum CollegP Str('et, Sydney Editor: C. ANDERSOK, 1\II.A ., D .Sc. Annnal Sn bscription, Post Free, 4j i
VoL. Ill., No. :?. APR1L-JUNE, 1927
Edi~torial.
·wHEN t he white ma n came to AustraJia rigor of the la.w. "Within its O\Vll territory he found the h~nd occupied by an abor t he '· owners " had fa vorite camping places iginal race, primitive in many respects wh ere they would sojourn so Jong as food w::ts _yet in others highly organised. The total sufficient, m oving off to fresh fields when the number of a borig ines li ving in Australia supply became inc.vlequate. vVith the coming is a mattPr of conjecture, bnt it is reason of t.he white man, with his flocks and herds able to assume that the continent was and his cultivated crops ~ all tl~i s was changed, occupied to its fullest capacity appropriately and the blacld e11ow wa.s faced with a set of to the mode of life practised by the inhabi conditions of a. devastating nature. The tants. W e must r emember t hat t he Aus European did not understa.nd the lawR and tralian wa.s not a culti,·ator, nor did the land r f'gulations of a boriginal society. nor did he conta.in a.ny useful anima.ts t hat could be dom care' to understand t hem He simply took esticated. H e was a hm1ter and :fisherman, possession of the land and pastured his sheep but mainly a hunt er, and a Jarge area of coun and cattl(' on t he huntiHg grounds of hjs try is necessary to support quite a moder ate p1·edecessor;.; . Who shall blame the aborig population when that popula.tion js depen ines if they -regarded t.he white man M a dent upon the products of the chase. Several tr espasser, and consider ed his flocks and authorities concur in putting t he aboriginal herds as welcome additions to the larder ~ population of Am:;tralia previous to settlement Then came r epTisals on the part of the settlers by whites at 150,000. This seems a small and sometimes the hlackR were t1·eated very n umber, but it has been f'stimated th11t when unjustly and crue1ly . vVe all know the fate Denmark was in a. state of culture correspond t hat overtook the Tasmanian aborigines, ing to that of the Australian aborigines, and jt sE'ems that the Australia.n blaekfellow its population was no more tbu.n 500. is al~o doomed, unless some means can be The land was parcelled out among groups, devised to presl."rve at least a remnant of this who inherited the hunting rights over that jnter esting race. land from their ancestors. EYerything on that The conscrTa ti on of t he u borigines pl'<.'Rents et area b E'longed to the gr oup, and trespassers very serious problem, but tmles~ we arecontE'nt ·were liable to p r o~ecut.i on with t he utmost to wa.tch the race dwindle a nd finally ,~anis h , 40 THE AUSTRALIAN .M U ~ l~ \J M t.JA O A~ I NE
some form of protection must be adopted and c om~cption , }H'<'t>entH pm<· I it: al d i1Ticul tih1 that soon. It hag been suggested tha.t a and r equjt'cs c a.rdul c; on~ idc·rn.tion , hu t thr: native state or territory should be founded, collected wisdom andc oun:-;<.·1 of mt·n who hav<· the affa,h·s of which would ultimately b0 man st udied the aborigina l qu<•s tion in all its e:~ged by the natives themselves according t o aHpcct,s, and sympathetic consider ation 011 their own laws and 'C ustoms ; this is the ob the part of F eder al a nd Ht atc Governments jective of the Abo~·i ginrs Protection League should re.·ult in a practicaJ and f'Jatisfact ory (Native 1 'tatc), an organjsa.tion recently solution. Wh a.t is required is a wh ol e lwaJ tr ~l rstablishecl in South Australia. It is pro desire to accor d fair treatmC'nt t o the a borig posrd that t he projected state shall be situ inal remna.nt, a wimng nC'HS to expJ orc t h(· ated in Arnhem Land in the Northern Terri possi bilitics thoroughly, and t o proceed cau tory whjch i as yet w ry ~pa rse l y settled by tiously with a ny projec·t thnt m ny he nnall v whitr:. Rueh a projC'ct . though a.dmira hle in adopted. ·
Notes and News.
:,\lr. E. U. Andrews, B.A., Trustee, left Antarctic Expedition , and find ::; our li bra.l'y . 'ydnry on February lOth, for Amed ca , wher e of the greatest assistance to him . he will deli vrr the Rilliman Lecture. at Ya.lo Colonel F . J. Hay t er , w orking on behalf Uni ver ity. It is a very high honour to he of the Cambridge lVIuseun1 of Anthropology, selected as 1 illiman Lecturer and that t he is making a study of abo1·iginal designs ba. eel choice thjs year has fallen on Mr. Andrews is a on specimen s c onta.ined jn onr collection. great compliment to Australian Science. After deli very of the lectures Mr. Andrews Mr. R .. H. Cambage,C.B.E ., F . ~ .S . , Trustec, will attend the Empire Mining and lVIetal who was one of the Australian delegates to lw·gica1 Congress in Canada., and will subse the recent Pan-Pacific Congress at Tokyo, quently proceed t o Europe. During his visited the Kyoto Imperial lVIuseum, Thr ab encc l\{r. Andrews will be engaged in the Historical Museum, Pekin, and t he Baffles study of various geographical problf'ms , Museum, Singapore. To each of these sister particularly in connection with p1·ospecting institutions he conveyed greetings from the methods . Australian Museum. Among visitors t o t he Museum during re Our ethnological eollecti on J1 as been cOJl cent month · were Professor W. A. Bens011 , !-;iderably enriched by tbp a cqnisitiou of the of Otago University, Nrw Zealand ; Mr. Robins Collection. Its acquisition is dur :\.. D. Com bc , Uganda Geological Survey ; to the generosity of t he H on. Sir Alfred Meeks, Or. Art hur Sweeney, President of t.he St. K.B.E., M.L.C., It is v<'ry difficult t o-day Paul Institute, St . PauJ , MinuE>s ota ; Mr. to acquire Polynesian m at erial a,Jid in the col H. A. Longman, Direct or of t he Queensland l ~ction t.licro arc ma.ny desirable . piece~. :\>Iuseum ; Sir J3aldw:i n 'pencer , Director of Arnong,st these ·may be mentioBcd obsidia.Jl t he National :VIuseum, Melhourno ; Mr. weaJ)Ol1S· a,nd car ved fi g ure"· from E aster Gr<'go1·y Bates on , St. J ohn·s College, Cam Island, and p ounders ttnd adze blades from bridge, on hi . way to New Britain to study ~'ahi t i. T he :Mela nesia n p ortion contaim; tho sociology of the Baining; Messrs . H. lVI. some fine . t on e implements from Fjji, ~m d Hale and N . B . Tindale. Routh 'Australian some Fihell blades from the N ew Hr bdde~. )fuseum. Professor T. Thomson Flynn, The r emainder of the coll <>ction com pri s<'~' Uni \'ersity of Tasma.nin, has been working British palaeolithic stone impl<'mcnts Atlcl in the l\I~seum for the last few "·ceks ; be aboriginal axes, ha.fted a.nd u nhn.ft('O. TJH' is engaged in the preparation of a report on collection '"ill shortly bC' on v iC'w in th ~ the Pycnogonida co11ecterl by the ~faws on ethnological galleries. I'HE A USTRALlAN M USE UM MAGAZIN}: 11
Cruising i11 the Santa Cru'Z by E. LEG TnoLTGJ-JTUN & A .A.L1 VI NGST ONE
I T he settJe~ent at Peu Vanikoro, on the reef opposite to w hich La Perouse was wrecked. Here the S .S . ·• Makam bo" calls ever y . five weeks fo r a car go of logs, a s trin g of w hich is seen in the foreground awaiting s hipmt"nt .. The J? hoto s hows t he " h ouse-alon~- water" wh ich accommod ates the man ager and other white officers of the Vam kor o T tmber Company . T he company's buildin gs an d n ative quarters a re seen u nder t he clump of t all coconut palms. [J>J. 10t o.- A. A. L"u;tngstont'. ·
o most of us the th ought of tropic and anot her supposed the Canary Islands Tisles and people makes instant appeal, were within range of om· destination, an and to museum workers the attraction account · of t he location and hist ory of the is enhanced by opportunities for studying group may prove interesting, without casting native races and collecting a1! phases of the an undue reflection upon t.he geography of ;1nimal life which flourishes in sun-warmed 1·eaders . lagoons and humid forests. Add to this hundle of tropic charms the remote situation LOCA'l'ION .>\ ND HIS'l'ORY OF TH]:; SAI\'J.' ;o\ C:RUZ. of .the Santa Cruz Group, associated mth t he fate of intrepid voyagers such as La The Group ~s situated in the centre of a Perouse-3tnd Alvaro de Mendana, and it is t riangle formed by t he better known New not surprising that two mem hers of the Hebrides and Solomons at the western base, Australian Museum Staff eagerly a vai1ed and the Ellice Islands, which constitute themselves of the generous invitation of t he eastern apex of the triangle. The :Yh. N. S. Heffernan, District Officer of the largest island about to be visited is Santa Group, to be his guests at the Government. Cruz, or Ndeni, which gives t he Group- its Rtation at Vanikoro, and travel amongst t he name, djscovered by Mendana in 1595. nrighbouring islands. Prior to thjs the Spaniard had discovered With the exception of mission workers, the Solomons, having sailed from Peru in traders, and students of the history and 1567 to search for the great southm·n con geography of the Pacific, it is doubtful if tinent. After expJoring those islands, many many neopl~ could say which hemisphere of which bear his names, lVIendana returned emb~aces ~he Sa;nta Cruz Gro\]p, or describe to P eru and did not set sail a.gain until its better known surroundings . A popular 1595, intending t o establish a Spanish colony query concet:ning the t r ip was " seems dread in the Solomons. Had he been successful fully ignorant, but where exactly is this it might have led to Australia's becoming a place ! " As one person had an impt·ession Spanish colony, and bull-flghtjJlg our naticm,al that it was near the coast of South America, pastim ~. 42 THE AUSTRALIA N M USE UM MAGAZINJ.~
lllBtead of thr SoJomons, lVIendana made cold seas ~ uch HS we· C'xpcriton(·NI. Only the Santa Cruz, over 200 miles to the north seven miles long it i R a beautiful spot, witi1 ward, and there tried to for m a settlement. its luxUl·iant gr('<'n of palm forC'stH ~tnd S(·mi An unsuitable and ill-fated choice, for .l\Ien tropical vegetation, t'uggecl coa!:!t-line bl'oken dana's death ·was followed by dissension L>y the fine S\v<'ep of sandy beaches, and amongst the settlers and depletion of their broad Jagoon C'n.closccl by surf-thrashed numbers from sickness and conflict with the coral r eefs. Dominating all arc two rugged bitterly hostile na.tives, until his widow sailed mountains, 2,500 and 2,800 ft. high which. wjth his rema.ins and the remnants of the though not tall as m ounta.ins go, are most colony t o Manila., where she <'-v fntually mar- imprf'ssive. risin g almost sheer from th€' sea. ried the GoYcrnor. . E ven on that cold grey day t he island looked Although nearly thrfe and a half centuries very attractive as the captain drew in close have elapsed since Mendana pierced the and, passing r ound the towering wall of Mt. shimmering veil of the Pacific: it is only Gower, sounded the siren to display the very recently that the Santa Cruz have reverbera.ting echo. L onging glances dwelt become easily accessible save to missionaries on the receding land, but, as often happens, and traders. A company was formed about the weather impr oved immediately aJter t hree years ago to exploit the fine growth of passing I~ord Howe, and was well nigh perfect kauri existing on Vanikoro Island, secon d for t he 480 miles onward to Norfolk Island . in ize to Santa Cruz and some seventy Arriying before dawn all 1vere delighted at five miles from it , a.nd as a result Burns t he prospect of a day ashore, which was Philp and Cowpa.ny, Ltd. have extended the increased by watching the beauty of the run of the S. '. Jlfakambo, making Vanikoro, sum·ise from the Kingston anchorage. As only two days steam from Vila, the turning morning mists dispersed, the severe outlines point of the voyage and enablirtg tourists of stone buildings, r<~lics of a penal regime to visit the scene of La Perouse's fate. long pa.st, made a striking contrast with Dwelling but briefly on the way, let us go the brilliant green of rolling hills, while in to Vanikoro, the headquarters of our host t heir natu ra.l surrounding. the Norfolk a.nd an important collect.ing field. Island p i ne~ seemed to acquire an unwonted variety of tints. As at Lord Howe, the
EN ROUTl~ FOR V ANIKORO . steamer anchors some distance out, and eager parties of tourists, the luggage of The purpose of our trip being that of visitors, and stores are taken ashore in general collecting, including everything from large boats rowed by the island crews or butterflies t o bats, and corals to h uman towed by the st eamer '. launch. The crania (not that one engages in the career h ospitality of island fdends made t he day of a head-hunter) there was a last minute a memorable one, and we \Tere loath to rush to prepare our extensive equipment. leave the charming spot and its frienclly folk Departure on the 2nd July, 1926, was an after driving amongst the green hills and unpromising beginning of a very fascinating along the great Pine A venue which is o'er a and successful experience, the night bejng mile long. A dinner of peafowl, home grown cold and wet, and the wharf inches deep in vegetables and fruit, aml home ma.de bread, mud. Unfortunately, too, we went ou t was an additional attraction of course, and into heavy ·eas, which broke over thr bows so we go on board at sunset, \\ith a sugar and washed overboard Ol' damaged gear bag of the famous Norfolk Island oranges which could not be replaced, including boxes to sta;ve off incipien t pangs of mal-dc.mer contaiuing bottles of preservatives, and a on the next stage of cu r journey. six-gallon can of pure alcohol, which w:as punctured and its contents sent to demorahse THE NEW H l~ BJUDES. t he fishes . To our regret, tcm porary alterations of sche Turning due north for the 700 ruil <•s t.o dule prevented landing at Lord Howe Island, Vila Harbour, we wore fa,roured with fn u· about 420 mile. out from Sydney, and about and gradually warmer weather, passing due east from Port Macquarie. The first thr ough the Loyalty Islanil ~ , wHh Nrw land . ighted, it is always heartily welcomed Caledonia well to the westward. On thP afternoon of t ho third day t.he. hn ~w ontlin('S by bad sailors as a stopping place after rouglh , . ., THE A UBT ltALIA N 1\J USEUM MAGAZINE 4.,
·· piece·· requmng ronsiderablc~ resistance being Yeu,-c Cliquot at five shillings a bottle ! Though the accord between the two nationalities may not be exactly perfect. t hC're is much that il'\ pleasant in the social life of Yila including tennis and dancincr at th ~ British and French Residencies launch picnics, and riding parties.' Th<' .Briti~h Hesidency, sta,ncls on a small island, which is easily ac ccssi ble, together with the John 0. Paton Hospital, the fine equipment l'tnd t'fficient staff rendering it a haven of healing for both natin•s Vfl a Ha.rbour is ver y beautiful and surprisingly exten s ive. 1 he larj1e vessels have to anchor some distance and whites. There is not much from s h ore and a re unloaded into boats towed b y launches. ace om modation for tra ,·cllers, the [ Photo.- .1. . J. Lil'inJetone. Hotel Moclc·rne somewhat be lying its pr etentious name, while the noYeltY of the southcrnruo t i. lands of the Group of the sunbaked main street , quite bus'· were seen. including Tanna with its actiYe save during t he rest hour from midda~· ~-olcano , and Erromanga, on which there t o two o'clock, q uickly palls. The French 1s a large sheep station, and abou t midnjght are permitted to import Tonkinese labour. the guiding lights to the Port of Vila winked and t he quaint little brown people are a steady welcome. The town with its everywhere, the sexes dressed alike in what hi11y swToundings, on which are perched looked to be badly made black pyjama suits. the government buildings and homes of the The English are handicapped one is told, officials and townspeople, is em bower ed in by being allowed to recruit only a limited }\,wealt h of foliage and overlooks a beautiful number of natives from the adjacent isla11ds. harbour, the size of which is surprisincr in of which sufficient are not always a ,·aHable. comparison with t hat of t he jsland of Efate On the evening of the second clay we in which it is ~ituated. stc~Lmcd away, having tr ansferred coal to 1:he presence of two European nationalities B urns Philp 's inter-island steamer which adds to the otherwise li mited interest of tours t he group, meeting the Jliakambo Vi la,, which is the headquarters of l't re periodically a,t VjJa. A temporary but Yery marka.ble inno,·ation in government, the important addition to t he ship's complement ~ew H ebride being admhu tered by a, is a party of fifteen or twenty natiYes who condominium of EngJjsh and French officials accompany the steamer through thr group under a Spanish Prc ident. H ence offenders to unload stor es, load copra and cotton. and arc tried by a joint court, and one may see carry out painting and cleatling operation:; joint proclamations in both languages at the after the dusty work of coating. Their gaily po. t office, where stamps of each country are coloured lava-lavas of rt>cl or blue patterned obtained. Both currencies are accepted in cloth provide a bright note of colour to business, the rate of exchange, owing to accord ·with t heir cheerful behaYiour, while· depreciation of the franc, greatly fa•·ouring their head man Tom, a n admiTable type of ho1ders of English money, a fact not lost native, controls the engine and acti\·ities of upon native labourers and traders thl'ougbout the steamer 's launch in masterly style and ~he group, who invariably request payment is a law unto himself. m the latter coinage. Money for personal 'l'he New Hcbridt>s, so named by Capta.in expenditure was converted at 180 francs to Cook in 1774, were discovered in 1606 by de' the pound, t hE• rate being 24 at pa.r, and jt Quiros, who attempted to found a colo11}' was amazing how much could be purchased on the large island of E spiritu Santo. Imag. for a few pounds. T obacco, perfumes and ining it to be t he great Southern Continent, powders, and c:dl beverages a.rriving straight h e call ed it ·' Ti('rra Australis, ., which after from Franc<> wc·rc remarkably cheap, the wards led to a supposition tha,t h <' hud THE A USTRALlAN 1'vl U H11 ; U ~I ~I AG AZlN~ ~
actually ,-j. ited and nam <> d Australia . Two clay._· straming through the group was a tanta lising <'Xp<'rirncC', ·with the red (!low of Am hrym ,·olca,no and ,·ague ·cent · () f t ropic lancll'$ by 11ight. and distant outlinrs of i·ilaucl8 by day, so thcrr wm; mu.· h satisfaction \\ lwn Olll' clt-s tinatiot1 loonwcl alwu d.
\ \\IIW Hil ISI. \ ~ D \~lJ IT -; JI ISTOfO .
'l'lw i·:lnnd is of ,·oJ c·
pea ked hats a~ a proj<'ct ion from t heir nc<·essari ly ,·cry incomplete, while m uch of fore h <' ad~ or t1 oscs tt fo<'t long, while t b <.· th <'ir material an d r<'cord;o; had been confused chief of t hE' strang<'rs wa:) said ··always to and the localities don bted : hence we werr be looking at t he :-;tar :-; and t h <' .·un and in t he unusual position, ~ · collect ors, of beckoning to t hem, .. the nati,·e eonception knowing t hat ev<'rything obtained would of a~ tr onomi C"a l obsc'rYa ti on :-;. <'ithcr constitute a new r ecord or confirm an old one. A fraction of t he varied forms of marine life on t h<' coral banks ar ound u ~ could not he exploited in the five wed's ahead , and t he t hought of t be teeming life th<' t·eon l'<'duc<'d our six-gallon cans t o t hf' pr oportion of t himhlcs. On shore Wfre s pec i e~ of inserts, l,ir d~", and bats, either made known a cent ury ago or yet to he d<•Hc l'i bed , and perhaps relic.-· overlooked hy t he many sca.rchcrs, a, coll<'ctor·R para.diRc in which the onl y fl aw was t he limited t im c for our work.
I Coi"!s unea r thed on the s it e of L a P e r o use's c a mp at 'l' HJ ~ SETTLJ•:l\U.:)I'J' AT P .E"G . Va na kor o and in t he c ollection of Mr. B. L . H o rnsha w . D espite its rC'putation as an u nhealth ~ · T he s mall one is a " Two Re a l ~," or q u ar ter dolla r , ~e rd i n a n d VI., 1754 : Mexico Mint. T he l ar~e coin spot t he effect is : urprisingly agreea blc on •s. the Dolla r or " Piece of E i ~b t " re n owned in ptratkal lite r at ure : it bea rs the bead of C h arles TII. approaching t he sC't tlement, which occupies a nd t h e d at e 1781. t he only fl at gr ound and sandy beach for I Photo.- G. C. Cluttr,11. miles in either direction. The har bour ~ee ms q uite busy with t he GoYernment Dillun·H o fli cc r:-~ purchased m any r elics, Auxiliary Vessel Tulagi, lalwur recruiting, including a rusted sword- bl ade and r azor . and J apanese tr oc hus - ~hc]l j ng vessels, and a sil v<'r :aucc-boat with a fl eur-de-lis en ~ red-roofed tiro ber punt. at anchor on t he graved 011 it, a brass m ortar , and part of a tr opic-blue water, whil<' th<' timber company's blacks mith 's vice. Thus n o p ossible doubt launch fu~ses her way t o the Jlfct kambo·~ remained t hat Ln. P erouse had been wreck ed side t owing a string of giant kauri logs, like and his <'nt irc compan y had
Tlw District J-{(·adq uarters at Vanlkoro, rstnbli!! hed on the commencement of the timbtT company"s acti,·ities, was in charge of our friend. }Jr. N. S. H effernan, unbl rrcrnt ly stationed at Ysabel in the Solomons, when· l1o had collf'C'tedkeeulyfor the Museum. L"ndcr his command arr a fine body of nntivr constab ular~·, warders of the prison <·ompouhd or ·· calaboo c,·' and ship's cr ew, lht' smartness of whose trah1ing was eYident n they brought the Di trict Officer alongside lhe ::;hip with oars erect awaiting the briskly obeyed commands. Not particularly tall, tht'ir \veil proportioned bodies are clad in Types selected from a p a r ad e of thirty odd prisoners in the compo und or " calaboose." T he authors at short blut' denim lM-a-lavas neatly wrapped tended t he t rial of the vene r able gentleman on the J e~t fol:" a ttacking his spouse w it h a lar ge lump of cora d around the hips and held at the waist by a T he cent r a l figure was impHcated In a m urder, an hand of bricrht rt'd cloth, O\er which js a othe rs were involved In thefts a nd ot her breaches of the law. polished belt with a buckle bearjng the royal [ Photo.- .L , 1. UL'inflSIOI~t. roat of arm ; thr un gleaming on skin.s which alm01 t out. hine the leather belt and bandolier. and a. mop of carefully trimmed to our eccentricities natives brought rnany hair complctrs a striking picture. useful specimens such as h andfuJs of spi~e 1-s Though it wa- mid JuJy the heat and t o " put along bottle, " ot· battered butter~Je~: lnunidity was comparable to February wl1ich they called " small feller pidgin. Wt'ather in Sydney and quite oppre~sive Indeed, t heir habit of calling all biJ·ds ano 1'H E A USTHALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 47
hundreds of yards a.-\\' ay. , 'iguals a.r<" sent to the engineer . by a native pulling a wir<·· a.ttached to a whistle, and great excitement reigns as, amid high. pitched native yells and hooting whistle, the logs wriggle and slide down the muddy track lil< e giant grubs, or bound off ledges t o the morass helow . From here they are drawn by the hauler t o the r i ve~· bank and rolled with mighty splashes mto the strea.m, down which they are floated to the lagoon . · It wa.s on the bank of this stream where a sawmill now stands, that La Per~us e and his survivors built the small bo~t on which many sailed t.o t heir doom, and ,nearby is t he actual camp sit e where most of the relics were found, t he ground having ,been so trenched and sieved that , to our disappoint ment, there was little hope of further finds.
T~e faithful Kovlko, a sturdy youth of nineteen, d e tailed by our host, Mr. N. S. Heffernan, as orderlv to the expedition. An excellent s hot with ~un or bow and arrow, he was a tireless coUector in the interest of the Museum. [J.>hoto.- E . Le G. 'l'to•lu/tton.
most flying things · pidgins :• ·was quit e confusing for awhile. :Most helpful of all wa.s the faithful Koviko, whom our host detailed from the guard as our orderly ; a well-set-up, cleanly , and intelligent youth of ninet een, he carried gear and da.nced at tenda.nce tirelessly. When no special duties were on hand he would t ake a gun and " look all about " for " new feller pidgin " or hunt for camps of the two species of " blying bokus " (flying foxes) or Fruit -bats, which inhabit t he island. So great was his zea.l that he startled t he settle ment by shooting an owl at midnight and dashed out to t he " h ouse along island " to On the bank of this stream , about 139 years a~o. the s urvivors of La Perouse's company built the vessel on display t he fine specimen , proudly rema.rking which m any sailed to their doom. Nearby Is now the sawmill, and lo~s are floated down s tream to the lagoon " him he good feller pidgin, plenty too _much .n for s hipment. The native labourers' barracks are s hown . About a hundred natives are employed [Plloto .. - ..-1. A . J,i!•inustcrllf .. by the company, including those recruited from t he Solomons and New H ebrides a.s well as the Santa Cruz, and t he logging Almost spanning the hist01·jc spot, the briskly progressed in spite of a short age of wireless aerial stl·etches between two coco white officers. One gang felled the huge nut palms, a symbol of civi]isation's advance kauri trees, many of which are 110 feet t o ment wit h which it is our visible link : the first branch , with a girth up to t hirty presided over by our geniaJ friend Dawe, feet, while another gang cleared a track known as J ack for obvious reasons, t he opening up a new section of forest. Kauri wir eless recept ion of test ::;cores or Dal grows on hilly country, and the logs a.re Monte's Melbourne concert provide a spice of sawn into suitable lengths and pulled to the contrast. Here oYer a centtll'y ago La. slippery chutes by c ab le~ from a st eam hauler Perousc perished for ]a('k of communjrntiOJl 48 THE AU~T l tAL I AN M UHgUM MAOAZl NE
with tlw out<·•· \\C> rld , \\hit· h \\11it•·d frJ1-ty years for news of his fat<·,\\ hi I<: n o\\ a f1·w seconds cleli v <·r:-; a llH'HHag(· at ~vdnr·v whence he !·mil<·d at the b<·ginning (J(!H·ttfr.: ment on .March I0 , 17HH . There wa.· an amazing amount of int,·n·st ing w ork in •·ecf and shore coll ecting by dnv a~ld ROl'ling, lahcJi iHg, and presC"n· inrr 1~,: mght, before bedtime on the A.\'. ~l'~ta i whcl'c th e murmur of waves on thc r<'d · The Wandering Albatross. BY .J. R. KrNGHoRN. HOCOH thr word :\lbatro ·s i.c:; jmmecli oceans . it oe;casio naJJy wander:-; to ·t·mi Tatcly as:-Jocia.tcd with the most majestic of ~ropi c a l partR_. T h ese birds, as they follow soa. birds, probably few know t he origin m. t he wake of a sten.m(:'l', e ,·c·r on t h e lookout nnd early appl'cntion of that name. It is a for som<' mors<'l of food wh ich mav find it ~ eonuption of the Spanish word Alcatraz or wa.y over board, n.re_a fa.milicu· sight. to ocean .\.lcatruz, originaJJy a.pp1ied to t he pelican , tra vf'lk r:-: , and brmg to mjnd Co l erid !lf'·~ and dcri vrd from the Arabic al-carlo'I.IS , ··Him<' of t he Ancient l\farincr ·· :- " m<.'a ning a lr.athn water-bucket, simila-r to And n. good ~o u th wind sprung up behind: thos<' which may be seen, even to this day, Thf' Albnt r·oss did follow, - on the pr·irnitin' irrigating machines in 11sc And. cvc t·~- d t:ty. for· food or play, Came t o I he rnm·incr·,_ hollo! on the ~ile. Hubsequrntly the word wa~ tt·ansfcrred to thf' pelican, because that bird \ Vh('n soaring. t he albatro;;:--: m e·,·~ it ~ wa · suppoN•d to use its lJill as a resen 'oir in wings more fr<'q ucnt ly than is genPnlll_r which water wa. carried to the young. L'Lter suppof':<' d , but thC' m o \'em cnt-· arc . o ex it was applied to any large sea bird, and was t rem C' Jy s h ort a.nd q u ick that thf')' C' The Wanderin g Albatross (Diomedea exulans Linne) . [Photo.- 0. C. CtuUQn. crest of a " comber , ., and , as it wheels in a dated 13th September, 1887 . These islands sh ort circlP, assuming the perpendicular ·ure within seven days steaming of the Cape while so doing, the curved t ip of its wjng of Good Hope, and the sailors probably appear~ to p ivot on the \Vater a::; it t urns. It could have been saved had immediate action drops gracefully into t h e sea to make a been t aken, but there were delays and six meal from some bread t hrown overboa.rd, mont hs elapsed before a FrPnch transport but does n ot remain long, for, after raising visited i he scen e. By this time the tragedy its wings clear of t h e water and beating them was complete. The bird had done its part, ra.pidly, while skipping 3.long t h e surface of but not without suffering, for the collar the . ea for a short distance, it suddenly, was so tight it could n ot swallow food and takP: off from. the crest of a suitable wave was evidently driven ashore by hunger and 'vhir ls its bea.utifnl form into the air an involuntary ma.rtyr in the cause of once more, and, as it swe0ps past the ship, humanity . turn its hea.cl a.s if acknowledging thanks f or The n ea.rest breeding gr ounds of the the meal. Wandering Albatross arc Chatham Islands, A remarkable stm·y was r elated Pome years Auckland Islands, and Antipode Isands, ago concerning the fate of a party of .- hjp which lie to t he south of New Jijealand. On \\Tecked .·ailors and a message carried by t,hcse rock y places are many r ookeries, but an albatross. It is an extraordinary co t he n ests there are simple structures, the incidence t hat, sever al mont hs ago, while dry gr ass being pressed down into a shallow removing a quantity of paper packing chu·ing bowl-like depression, in which a single egg is the renovation of t he albatr oss sh own in the laid. photograph, th e taxidermist, Mr. H. ~· . The m ar <" typical nests may be found on Gra.nt, found part of an old Queensland Tristan d'Acuuha Island and K erguelen journal with the !-ltory in. it . On t he 18th Lc; land, where mnd and grass, mixed jnto a October , l e 87 , an albatrm;f) \Ya~ picked up in kind of mortar , is built into a cone from six an exhausted uondition on Cottesloe Beach , to ten inches jn height and about sixteen Western Austr alia. The young man who inches across. The top is saucer shaped, found it noticed a rust coloured ::;ta.in round a nd in this the egg is placed and batched. the bird's neck which on examination proved to come from a t in collar. H e removed the rrhe Wandering Albatross occasionally collar and saw that an inscription in French vi!';its P ort J ackson, and only t hree Y-ears was punctured on it., the tr anslation of which ago a largf': sp ec:i men came into collision was to t he effect that the French ship Tamm·i.c; with one of t he Sydney Ferd0s' steamers, had b~c n wrecked and thirteen of thf' ~ ur breaking t he steering gea1· and its own nrck , vi vors of the crew wer e on t he verge of st arva eventually finding its way to th<' storage tiorl on t he Or ozct Islands; t he mef'\sage wa::; cabinets at t his Museum. 50 THE AUSTI-tALI AN M UH L.j UM MACAZI-N& The Queensland Lungfish. BY GILBERT P. WHITLEY. NE hundred yea.rs ago, those portions Krefft's paper , in which he described tho O of Queensland watered by the Burnett animal as a new amphibian, naming it and Mary Rivers were quit e unknown Cera.todus forste'ri aft.er its discovet·er, was to white men, and in the forties of last cen read before the Zoological Society of London tury the aborigines there reigned supreme, in April, 1870. It created quite a furore preventing permanent settlement ou the amongst those present at t he meeting and part of the whites. The hardy pioneers Dr. A. Giinther, wh o was at that time who raised their stock in those days little completing his m onumental " Catalogue of knew t hat the rivers they encountered were the Fishes in the Brit ish Museum," pointed to become famous as the habitat of one of out that the new animal was a fish and the world's most wonderful fishes, the introduced t he remarkable find to t.hr. Queensland Lungfish, and many a bush cook scientific world in his book. The distin. who dressed the fleshy " salmon " of those guishing feature of the novel fis h was the parts could have made a small fortune, had lung with which it could breathe ajr, in ad. he been able to introduce his finds to stay-at dition to the gills with which it could breathe home cientists. in water. The backbone was cartilaginou; The orl~i n a l photograph of the first Queens land Lun~fi sh (Neocer atodus for steri) known to science. It shows the s pecimen described by Krefft in 1870 , and is t he r efore of cons iderable historical and scientific interest. ( l?hoto.-Hilrry Bames. DISCOVERY . like a shark's, whilst t he paired fins were paddle-shaped, and like flippers. Twenty or t hirty years later, t he tales At first Ce·ratodus was knmvn only from a told by bushmen and blacks of a curious single specimen in the Australian Museum, fi!\h in the Queensland rivers were substan but a search for more I~u ngfishes was mad{', tiated by the Hon. William Forster, who Gem·ge Masters, who had been collecting procured a spf'cimen for lVlr. Gerard Krefft, in W est Australia for K.:re.fft, being sent to at that time Secretary and Curator of t he Gayndah for the purpose of procuring Aust,ra.lian Museum, Sydney. Krefft was more. H e was successful in obtaini11g muc h pleased at this gift, for he perceived nineteen, some of which were sent to London. from the animal's teeth t hat it was a living The n ew fish was encurnbC'red with se\'eral example of Cemtodus, a creature, thought t o inappropriate names. It waR stated by have been like a shark, which had hitherto been Krefft that the blacks call<'d it " Bm·a· known only from fossil t.eeth. He prepared a moonda, or Ba'rarnoondi,'' tha.t it was re· description of his unique specimen for ported to exist in t he Dawson Riv<'r, and that publication in England, with a photograph, it reached fully six fc<~ t i n l<'ngth. Thr,e a copy of which is here reproduced because remarks, h oweve1·, apply to a, rlitl'C'l't'nt fish, of its hi'5torical interest. the "Dawson RivC'·r Sn.lmo11 ., (<"fCiltlopa(ll'S THE A USTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 51 leichhardti), to which the name Barramnndi H AB ITS. may be restl'icterl. The native name of t he Queensland Lung:fish, whose ratlge. was The Queensland Lungfish is evidently confined to the Bur·nett and Mary H.IVers, somewhat sluggish, living amongst weeds was aocording t o Masters T eevine, or Djelleh and submerged tree-trunks, near river-banks. according to Semon; it was also called Though it usually breathes through gills, it "Salmon," probably because of its reddish sometimes comes to the surface and takes flesh. air into its lung, the passage of used air through t he throat and mouth often making STRUCT URE. quite an audib] e grunt. The faculty for breathing air in this manner must be very In Europe t he foremost anatomists dis useful t o the Lungfish when t he water is sected the available Lung:fishes and published fouled by decomposing veget able matter, wonderful monographs, of which t ha.t of and it is recorded that, whereas many fishes Semon, an· accomplished German, who have been found dead in putrid waterholes, specially visited Queensland, is superbly the Lungfishes were still alive and healthy. illustrated. Though outwardly like a fish , the Lungfish was found to have internal structures like those of sharks and of amphibia (frogs, toads, etc.). The swim-bladder possessed by most true fishes was f ound modified in the Lungfish to form a lung with a special series of blood-vessels in association with it. It seems that t he lungs of air -breathing ver tebra.tes are modificati ons~ evolved through mHlions of years, from t he swim-bladders of pri mit ive fishes or fish-like animals. .The idea t hat the Lungfish is akin to the sharks is not accepted nowadays; it is held t hat t he points of resemblance between t he t wo .·. groups are t he result of convergent evolution from distinct t ypes. Th e lung of the Queensland Lungflsh opened to s how The Queensland L ungfish may be regarded the nu m er ous " air cells," the walls of which are s up· as a unique survivor of an ancient order of plied with veins and arteries which enable the Jungfis h to breathe the contained air. animals intermediate in many resp ect s be [After Richard Senum. tween fishes and air-breathing quad1·upeds. The Lungfishes, or Dipneusta, as they are The early settlers be]ieved that the Lung called, are represented by but t hree living fish could travel on land, but such is not genera, Protopterus, found in Ahica, Lepido the case, for its fli ppers are incapable of siren of South America, and Oeratodus (Neo supporting its heavy body, and the fish, ceratodus) of Australia. But in previous geo despite its lung, soon dies when taken from logical periods the Dipneusta were dominant the wa.ter. Neither does it bask in the sun and occm·red a.U over the world . Teeth on exposed logs as Carl Lumholtz stated in very closely resembling those of t he existing his book Among Cannibals. Queensland Lungfish have been found in the Triassic of South Africa and India, FOOD . in t he J urassic of Colorado, and in t he Cretaceous of North Africa, Montana, and The Que('nsland Lungfish feeds chiefly on White Cliffs , New South Wales . I t has vegetable food, eating more or less de aLc:; o been recorded from t he older Tertiary composed leaves which haYe lain in the of Patagonia. The Australian Lungfish is, river. Blossoms of Eucalyptus are eagerly therefore, a most interesting survivor of seized and swallowed as t hey drop into t he a group of fishes which wa~ once highJ y water. Specimens have, however, been important and widely spread. caught with a bait of worms, shl.'imps, and 52 THE AUSTRALIAN M USEUM MAOAZINE other tasty morsels, and a specimen l\ept as a Sydney, for soven or oight yo~.~rra, Wl·ight'tl pet in the Queensland Museum is feel on 84 pounds. chopped liver, so tha.t the Lungfish is by no means a strict vegetarian. Some say, indeed, PHOTECTION. that it swallows leaves and other vegetable matter only for the minute animals which In view of t he great interest attached to the are found on them. Queensland Lung:fish , it is pleasing to note Opinions on the Lungfish as a food-fish that it is rigor ously protected by law. If any differ. Some have stated that its flesh is aro caught t hey must immediately be re oily, disagreeable, and coarse, others that the turned to t he water. fish is excellent eating; possibly the freshness Attempts have been made to acclimatjse of the flesh is an important factor. t he I,ungfish in several southern Queensland rivers, and a young specimen caught in the EGGS AND YOUNG. Spawning takes place, ac cording to Semon, from April to November and 0 principally in September and A B c 0 ( October. The eggs are not T he development of t he you n g Lungfi sh. A. appearance unlike those of frogs ; t hey are deposited of fresh egg, life s ize . B. em b r yo one week old. C. amongst weeds or beside or · beneath logs t wo week s old. D. em pty envelope showing exit bole. E. young lungfish just e m er ged : if often r eturns to its lying in the water. Several weeks elapse gelat in ous caps u le w hen dis t urbed . before the embryo fish hatches, and it often [After '1.'. L. JJaucro/t. returns to its gelatinous egg-shell for shelter. The young Lungfish is an inactive grub Coomera River in 1918 proved that the like creature which spends much of its t ime Lungfi shes which had been introduced ther~ lying on its side at the bottom. in 1896 had bred successfully. The tadpole of t he frog grov\'S its hi nd-legs first anrl fore-legs afterwards; the young THE LUNGFISH GROUP. Lungfish reverses this procedure, t he fore limbs or pectoral fins are t he first to appear A group showing Queensland Lnngfishes the hind-limbs or ventral fins are developed in t heir natura.I surroundings has been for when the fish is four or five months old. In some t ime a desideratum for the Australian eight months the young are about two and a Museum gallery . ha,J£ inches long. Dr. T. L. Bancroft suc cee(ted in rearing two year old specimens Life-like casts were made from good which were about five inches long. specimens by the Museum prepa.ru.tors, Messrs . G. C. Clutton a.nd J . Kingsley. and Shrimps, small fishes, and aquatic insects colouTed very carefully by :Miss and larvae eat the eggs a.nd numbers of t he E. A. King, who also painted t he background for the young Lung:fishes. group . Weeds, sheJls, and samples of the silt from t he bed of t he Burnett B.ive!· were J~ONGEVITY . kindly sent by Dr. T.L. Hancroft of Eiclsvo~d. The completed group, depicted on the frontJS The exact age to which Queensland pieoe, is t he result of months of careful Lungfishes may atta-in is not. definitely known. work on the part of prcpa.rators and ~1-1·ti~t, They are apparently long-lived creatures. and represents an undE-r-water sce11 0 lll Examples sent alive to England have lived which t hree L ungfisbes arc shown jn swill1- from seventeen to t wenty years in captivity ming attit udes. Some shells of fr<.'~hwate r and were doubtless several years old when mussels lie on t he ri ver-bed. whilst Jibt.Jo transported. snails climb t h e stC'ms of t he wntrr.wr('ds. The Lungfish is said to grow to a length of Thes_e, as :well as t he flsh <'s, w t'l'<' :-rprcinll_y five feet or more, though exact data on this obtamed from the Htrrrwtt Hi \' ('t' for thts point too are wanting. A specimen which group, which. will s hortly b<' on ,·irw on thl' lived in Taronga Park Zoological Gardens, landmg outs1de t he fi sh gf1.11<'ry. ~l'HE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE Further Notes upon Marsupial Birth. METHOD OF TRANSFERENCE TO THE POUCH AND SUPPOSED HELPLE 'SNESS OF THE NEWLY BORN. BY ELLIS LE G. TROUGHTON. N a.rticle entitled " The Mystery of Bancroft, the well known naturalist of A lVIarsupia.l Birth and Tra.nsference to Eidsvold, Bur·nett River, Queensland. the Pouch " recently published in this To the Edi t01~, MAGAZINE1 has been the subject of conRider THE A u sTRALIAN MusEu l\r lVl AGAZINE, a.bJ e comment, and it would appear that such Sir, criticism or confirmation, together with I cann ot agree w,ith the writer of the article on discussion upon t he points at issue, may the Mystm·y of Marsupia l Birth when h e remarks : " but it is no"" known beyond all d oubt that the prove of interest to readers and shed light young are a ble to r each t he po1.1ch and teats un upon ma.tters which to some still retain an aided. '' element of mystery. A young mar supial, that could crawl about in the fur, would be two 01' three weeks old. Of late years discussion of marsupial At birth it would be absolutely helpless. During propagation has become broadly divided my life I have collected much m nrsupial material, both llterine and pouch young, for embryologists into two sections-birth, and the subsequent and ha.ve seen pouch yolmg so small and helpless tr~. nsference of young to the t eats. , The as scarcely able to move. I have kept possums former point, of course, admits of no argu a nd wallabies in captivity and they have born ment, a.s it is a fac:t accepted for over a young repeatedly. century in well informed quarters-scientific The young at birth is t ransferred by the mothel''s hands to the pouch. a.nd othenvise-that. marsupial birth tu.kes I cannot say t hat I have actually witnessed a pla~ e in t he orclinary way common to all birth but have many times seen the mothers furred animals ; indeed that a.ny other detach the young and lick out the pouch and then method would be impossible. The q uestion put the young on the teat ; they do this once a clay at. fu·st but, as the joey grows, many times a day. of transference, however, not being a mere The cases of kangaroos, where the pouch young matter of dissect·ing dead animals but of was seen cr awling in the fur immediately after the the patient observation of shy creatures, is mother was shot can be explained in two ways. still the subject of discussion, which some ( L) The mother , just before being shot, had de tached the joey preliminary to cleaning the pouch. t imes develops unnecessary warmth. (2) The yonng had lost its hold of the teat eluTing the d eath struggles of t he mother. The main difficulty arises from the fact t hat people who are willing to accept scien Eidsvold. (Signed) T HOS. L. BANCROFT. tific records of reseal'ch upon dead animals are strangely reluctant to accept accounts In regard to Dr. Bancroft's 'interesting of the habits of living ones, no matter how comments it will hardly be necessary to highly qualified the observer, or how authori assure him, or readers ,generally, that the tative the scientific journal publishing t.he article was compiled with close attention t 0 record. In my recent article authentic all available scientific records. I now pro accounts were quoted of the young of kan pose t o discuss the points raised and offer garoos making the journey to the pouch some further observations omitted from the unaided, including Dr. Hartmann's personal article under review. observations, from the Anatomical .Rev·iew, Dr. Bancroft cannot a.gree with the idea in which the actua-l birth of American that the young at birth arc able to reach Opossums was obser ved, as well as thP sub the pouch and teats unaided, ma.intaining sequent unaided journey. that the young are invariably transferred by t he mother's hands, yet he states t hat he has Amongst several letters received is t he never actually witnessed a birth, wber:-ns followiNg interesting one from. Dr. T. L. my at·ticle quoted several authentic in ITro•: AuS'J:llALlAN Mu sJ:;; mvr MAGAZINE, Vol. II, stances of unaided transference. It was No. 11, July-Septemb er, 1926, p. 387. over a. centUl'y ago that t he first observation 54 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE of this kind was made, when Professor Barton THE BrRTH O!f KAN UAHOO S >\ N I> W i\Lr,td31l~S of Philadelphia (U.S.A.) published in 1806 Ol3SERVED JN AM: ImiC'AN ZOOS . his account of the birth of the American Opossum. In a recent article. on this subject I have quoted local obscrvationf; in :my in a Hobart paper, The Vo1ce of Labor of previous a.rticle, including one made in the Dec. 18th, 1926, Professor T. Thomson Taronga Park Zoo, but the following ad. Flynn, D.Sc., of the University of Tasmania, ditional accounts arei ntcresting. The Pa.st points out that there are only two methods ora.l Review (Melboul'ne) of J·uJy l G, 1923, by which the young can reach the pouch, prints a lett.er from Dr. \V. T. Hornaday, rither they are put there, or they travel Director of the New York Zoological Gardens, themselves, and the onJy way to find out is to giving records of obser vations made on see, or to believe a.uthorities who have seen kangaroos and wallabies in America. The the act of transference. He t hen quotes following are extract.s from his letter, from ProfeRsor Ba.rton from the precious pamphlet which only ver y slight immaterial elisions of J80G, a copy of which is in the University have been made, to conform with the popular of Tasmania:- nature of t he MAGAZINE. "We have a large and fin e coUection of kan. ga1•oos, and for the pas t three years in particular " The young Opossums, unformed and perfec~ly our kangaroo kee per has been keenly on the alert sightless as they are a t this period, find their ways to discover how young kangfH·oos are born and how to the teats by the power of an invariable, a de they are conveyed to the pouch. After long and terminate instinct, which may, surely, be considered patient watching, he was at last rewarded by wit. as one of the most wonderful that is fm·nished to us n essing the process under ver y favoura ble condit ions. hy the science of natlual history. It is not t.rue, as has been often asserted, that the mother, with " The demonstration was afforded by a kangaroo her paws, puts the young ones into the pouch." of large size, called B e nne tt's kangaroo. With considerable enthusiasm h e related to me im It was not till one hundred and fourteen mediately after the occunence the ma.nneL' in which he saw it occur. K eeper Riley said tha t the kan. vears later that further observations upon garoo sat upon the floor of h er cage. On t he Bat. American Opossums were published by Dr. table of the tail the yo1.mg kangaroo was born, Hartmann, who wrote, in addition to pas emerging without difficulty in the usual fashion. H e said that it was about as long as the terminal sages previously quoted in the MAGAZINE:- joint of his little finger . " A tiny bit of flesh appeared, and scampered up "He declared that the Li t t le animal was physi· over the entanglement of hait· into the pouch to cally perfect, a nd within a minute or so after it join the othet• foetuses, which now could be seen appeared on the flattened tail of the kangaroo it to have mad e the trip without our having observed began to scr amble about as if looking for something. them. and the next instant it rather nimbly scmmbled up the ha.ir covering the abdomen of the mother, " Examina tion of the pouch of the mother found the pouch , and quickly entered it." showed that it cqntained a squinning mass of eighteen red embryos, of which twelve were at tached. though t hirteen might have been a ccom This cloged the observation until some modated. The remainder were, of course, doomed weeks later, when he saw the hea.d of the to starvation. Even some of these unfortunates, little animal protrude from the pouch and howeve•·, held on wi th their mouths to_ a flap of take a view of the world. skin o•· to the tip of a minute tail, wh1le several cJntinued to move about." " I do not underta ke to say that all ka ngaroos are born in t his fashion, nor· do 1 vent lll'e to ~l sse rt It was found that any of t hese young, that kangar·oo mothers ne ve r assi!'it Lheit• yotUlg immediately a.fter birth, could readily find into tho pouch. l Juwe been told that some kanga.• ·oo mothers do by means of tJteil' front. paws their way 'to the pouch if taken out and help thoi1· y oung t o find the pouch a.nd onler it.. but, placed on the mother's fur wen below it, on acco·unt of the t.iny ~ize of t ho n0wl;v- born young and that they always crawled upwards, and the comparA.t,ively ln •·ge s iz€1 of a ka.ngn.roo's progressing by means of over-arm st.rokes as front paws it would seem t o m e r u t ll<''' difTi rllll, for in swimming. It may be noted that t hese the mothe •· to be of mt•ch r0nl m;si s!Hn Pe so fM tlS observa1 ions completely support Profess?r h er front pa ws ar e conc·er11 ecl. Flynn's assertion, now generally accepted In " As a final contribut.ion t.o t.llis su hjN ·t. r flll1 scientific circles, that the supposed help now going t.o en(dose tl c·op,v of t h <:' ll H'Ill0 1'Uiidtlll1 t hat we r ec!oived on 30t.h l\'Tn.t•eh !Sl2 l. fnllll ~ J r. lessness of marsupial young immediately Ge01·ge F. ~[o •· se, jun., dit·o('!.0 ,· ~~f tht' ~M i og it'!ll after birth is:a,.n absolute myth. Cardeus in li'r·anklin Pn1•k, 13oRtOII , 1\ lnH:'I. THE: AU~TRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 55 ·· lt tt'lll'; its own story. and it i thoroughly con record whatever of the parent transferring firmatory of the ohs(.wvations of our· own k eeper. the n<'wly born. •· In this cas<·. howev('r. Lht" tiny individual fniled to find t ht" pou<•h and the clumsy claws of the Dr. Bancroft states that young marsupials mo thcr· k i llro t hp f r·ai I er· eat ure, and so the hi r· th able to crawl about in fur would be several .operation wtts a fnilur·<'. ThC' follo"·ing is a detailed repor·t :- W<'eks old, being absolutely helpless at birth, •· At 2. J 9 p.m., the young one was born. It but if t hi is so, how does the parent persuade appeared to be perfectly formed. without hair, the embryo to pedorm the voluntary act of pink in C'o lonr-. and an inch long. As soon as bom seizing and h olding the teat ? Further it started to climb upward t.hrough the hair towards more, observers, scientific and otherwise the pouch. \vith n s low wriggling a nd snake-like motion. It wHs evidently :::~icle-t r a.c ked by a groove have shown t hat marsupial young directly in t.he abdominnl h air, and its coursu was directed they arc born display remarkable powers of towatds its mothol'·s right hip. It took twenty-five instinct and energy, as well as the power minutes to climb to tho same le vel ns the pouch, common to all young furred animals of and was then. about two inr-hes t.o the right of the pouch orifice, with a thick bunch of hair· imperling immediately finding their way to the milk its progi'Css. Up to this time the mother was supply. a.ppa.rently oblivious of i ts pr·esence, and made little movement. At 3.02 p.m. she started to get The presence of immature marsupials rather ner·vous, and kept looking for the young crawling in t he fur is explained by Dr. Ban one and opening and lapping her pouch. At croft as dul9 either to dislodgment from the 3.0i p.m. he started to scratch with h er right foot pouch during the death struggles of the in the vicinity of the young one, and twice struck mother, or to her having been shot while it with her c:laws. At 3.15 p.m. the young one dropped to the ground d ead. Post mortem cleaning the juvenile, but t hese explanations examination re vealed severe contusions on n eck cannot in the slightest degree discount the and sides. " .eight, 9 ~ grains ; length, nose to several instances quoted, wherein qualified root of tail, llf l uins. ; hind legs, l f l6in., imper men have observed the actual birth and fectly formed. journey pouch-\vards. "Needless to say, the testimony of Mr. Morse is to bo relied upon as a bsolutely a u thentic. " Dr. Bancroft's account of the mother detaching the young from the teat and licking out the pouch, once at first, and then A GENERAL Sl .'l\iM.-\RY. many times a day, is most surprising for t he foll owing reasons. Observers have al vVhen I wrote in a previous issue that t he ways found it impossible to remove the young, b<'yond all doubt, could reach t he y<;)Ung, after a few days' attachment to pouch unaided, I :.did n ot dogmatise that it t he teat, wit hout risk of serious injmy to was t he only method, but wr ote in t he t he juv~nile's mouth and to the teat. I n same paragraph " it is reasonable to suppose deed it is the bleeding consequent upon that maternal instinct may frequently prompt forcible removal which has often strengthened the parent to assist the tiny voyagers." t he bush rna n's belief that the young are Whether this is the case or not, it must be born on the t eat. Furthermore, it is known emphatically reiterated that published re from scientific investigation that, after cords conclusively pr ov<' that the young of attachment, the sides of the mouth grow marsupial , at birth, can and do reach the together so a to be quite immovabl!', pouch and teats unaided. lcavina an aperture in front through which Against the assisted passage theory, it t he t<'-;,t passes into the mouth, where it should b<' noted in t he Boston Zoo obser is fi rmly held and is swo1len into a bulb vation th a~, although the newly born. animal corresponding to the shape of the mouth, was .. evidently side-tracked,'' the " mother a nd larger than the aperture. This con was apparently oblivious of Hs presence," dition of the mouth parts is known to German and did not attempt to assist t he t ravelling biologists as '' Saugmund" for which term embryo with her fore paws, in fact it was t here is no Engli£h eguivalent., though t h<' actually her " right foot " which started to. condiLion is familiar to a11 workers upon t he scratch in. the vicinity of t he young one and Ru l>j cct. As the animal becomes furred and cventuaJJ y dislodged it. It is also a fact, the teeth appear, the jaws separate and Professor FJynn assureH me, t hat in many become movable aga.in, and at this l:ita.g<', years of assembling and studying literature several weeks <:tfter the first attachmt'nt, In consideration of the foregoing, Dr. B ancrofi may be uhh· tu <:L<·nr ~"P a nd whi<·h Bancroft · observation of r~moval by t he in associa t ion wH la h iH orig i nnl () b~c: r'HJ l i1mx: parent is mo t interesting and difficult to shou ld certainly h<' p lacc·d on 1 c·con1 f(n explain, unless the juvenile is able voluntarily the bcncfi t of sc·ic niific w ork<.·rl) . to relea e and take bold again of the swollen ~Ian y . int eresting co.n:umt~i cat i om; up()n nipple; if this is so it supplies an additional the subject nf mnrs upral b1rth have been proof that the supposed helplessness of r rceived which have been a.nswcrcd by young ma.r ~u pi a l i a myth. Another letter, space u nfortunately not permitting~ possible explanation, as Dr. Bancroft. has reply in t hrso oolu mns . T o all the.(' cor never witnessed a birth, is that t he young rrspondcnts n.n assurance may be gi vcn that may haYc been in a comparatively advanced in no sonse is m·Hici.·m resented, while any , tage of their carJ y growth when he observed aut hentic rr e ords t ending fm-tbcr to il. the interesting occurrence described by him . luminatc t his highly interesting ubject will lt is such points as t he latter which Dr. be heartily welcomed. Lectures. The 19.?7 se ::;ion of Popular science lectures R omance of Gold :Mining in New South will be inaugurated on April 28th when :M:r. Wales." Thecomplet e Syllabus forthe es ion T. Hodg<' ~ mith will take as ills subject " The is as follows :- Apl'i l 28th-" The R omance of Gold Mining in N .S. Wales ·' T . Hougo Smit h May 12t h- '· Camera St udies of Australian B irds '' E. F . Pollock, R.A.O. U. May 26th- " A Visit to Java '' R . H. Cambage. O.B.E ., F. L.S. June 9t h-" Common Objects of the Sydney Bush " F . L. Urut zmacher, F.f'.S. .Jun<> 23rd-'· (Jould and His Birds " Tom Iredule .Jul y 14th- '' The Yalue of W ild Life " ... J . R. K ing horn, C.)l.Z . ,July 2 th-" Cru ising in the Santa Cruz " E . Le G. T rough ton Aug. I I th-'· J n the Macpherson R ange, Queensland " A. :\I usgravc, F.E .• . .\tag. 25th- '' Animal Camouflage ·· \ V. Hoat·dn.an :-iept. th- " • ome Xative Races and their Customs·· W. W. T hoa·pe ~cpt. 22nd- '' )larine Boring Organisms a nd t heir W od{ " F. A. 1\[(';.Noil l Oc-t. 1:3th- " Early ~Ii grat i ons in t he Westem P acific., P rof. Gri ffith Taylo r·. B.A., D. 'c. Oct. 27 t h-" The Capture of F ish·· 'J'. C. R ough ley •: ov. lOt h-" J apan " B. C. Andrcws. B.A., F.G.S . Thes<' lec·tlll'eR. which aa·o illustr·ated by specimens and Jontoa·n sliclcR, a a·o dclivcJ·cd in t he LN• tua·o Hall at the Australian )luscurn at 8 p.m. on t he dates shown. Tho d.ooa·s op on l~ t 7. 15 p.rn., and nd111issiou is free. Recent lectures to vat·ious instit ut ions " A ncien t Egypt " a.tl(l by Dr. C. J-\ nd t' I '~O '~: included those to t he Sydney J(jndergarten w ho lect ured on · · A ni ma.I~ of I ht' P11:'l. Tl'aining College by Mr. vV. W . Thorpe, who Mr. Torn Lrcda le l<'c t urC'd on .. 'l'lt t> took as his subjects •· P l'imit iv elVIan ," " The Wondcr·s of t lw Occn.n D <' p th ~ " t o t h<' tr11i rt· Aborigines of New 'outh vVales," R.nd ecs on boa rd H .l\I .A.H. 'l'in(J ira. 'J'HE AUSTRALIAN lVl USEUM MAGAZINE :)7 The Carrier Shell. BY J oYOE K. ALLAN. OSSI RL Y in no class of the animal and sets them with the convex sides down, P kingdom is tha means of defence more so as not to further impede locomotion, which pronounced than in molluscs: a.nd the at all t imes is rather laborious. The fiat quaint animal here illustrated is one of th<'l\ base of the shell is kept entirely free from best examples of self-protection to be found rubbish, to prevent interference with the among the ma.ny types of shells comprising anima.l's chance of obtaining food. t.he molluscan group. The materials collected are made to adhere Living in tr opical and sub-tropical seas to the growing shell by bringing them in round the world, and commonly known as conta.ct with it while the shelly matter is still the Carrier Shell, t.hjs remarkable creature in a softened condition, and though, when (Xenophom sp.) deceives its enemies and viewed from above, it ma.y easily be mis protects itself by collecting small shells, taken for a portion of sea-bottom debris, pieces of rock-coral, and pebbles, and at- below, a mollnsc with all a mollusc's in- The Carrier S hell (Xenophora sp.) showi n ~ under, upper, and profile views. [ PIIoto.-0. C. Olllttmz. ta.ching them to t he surface of the growing stincts and appetite lurks· in the doorway of shell, some being so completely covered that its h ome to snatch any food that may come they appear, as intended, to be only small near. heaps of shells or pebbles, while other.· Travel is a slow process to this creature have only a single regular-sized row soldered consisting of a series of ungainly jumps to the surface. caused by t he sharp contraction of the foot A decided taste is shown by individual muscles, a.nd the gait is anything but a species, probably due to the type of material smooth one, possibly due to the irregular nearby. Some prefP.r pebbles, others shells, surfaces over ·which it wanders. while a few species use both, intermingled The habit of accumulation proba.bly serves with portions of rock-cor al. Both univalves to give added strength to the shell, the sur such as Lady Fingers (Turritella) and Ladder face of which, though rarely seen owing to Shells (Scala'ria), and bivalves are favom·ed, the collecting habits of the owner, is really and if the latter, which seem. to be the more thin and brittle, with gracefully curved popular, are used, the shrewd mollusc is stri ations, and without t,his additional pro careful to choose the saucer-shaped ones, tection the anima.l would probably suff<'t' such as the Coclde, Venus, and Scallop shell, considerably . 58 THE A USTltALTAN M USE Ull MACA%1~11: A Visit to Jenolan. THJ]; SKELETON CAVE. Bv H. E. GRABB . GLANCE at the eastern portioH of howe\rer, goes through it by virt ue of a great A New South Wales will reveal the fact natural tunnel- t he Grand Arch . Thjs giant that from north to south there is an mass of rock cuts off the upper part of the abundance of limestone outcrops. In some Jenolan River valley from the lower part, the parts the rock is remarkable for the beauty river passing through it by an underground of its marbles, and iu others, such as J enolan, channel. Wombeynn, a.ndYarrangobilly, for the wonder This h erculean lump of ]jmestone is the of the caves with which it is honeycombed . Mecca of every tourist, for within jt are the Bridges to Skeleton and entrance to River Caves. [Courti'SIJ o/ N. '. lr. Ourt. 'l'tlllrist n lll't'«ll. Those at Jenolan are probably the most twelve caves fa med for· tJ1 ci r grandrur. famou . Discovered over sevPnty years ago, They are found at va.riou l r ,~ el~ . from thr they we1·e subsequently protected by the top of the hill down to the p rr~en t ri ,.<' t' Jc,·rl. re ervation of six square miles of country Each cave-level mn,rks the onr-tiHH.' }JH ·:;;age surrounding them. of the river t hrough the lim e~( o n C' . 'l'lw The outstandinQ: feature at J enolan is the caves have been formtd hy 1 he wnt <'1', im great mass of grey rock, about 450 feet thick pregnated with carbon di ~)x id P , di~~ oh· in~ and tilted at an angle of 60 degrees, which channels through th e lim e:-~t.one. 11nd nnt. l>,v stands athwart the valley and seemingly i t merely cutting it.~ wny downw11r d :-; t hn>ugh bars the way. The road to the Caves House, t.be r ock by mer hnnieu I rro~io n . 'l'lw pn'· THE AUSTRALIAN M USE UM MAGAZINE 59 " 1'her-e rolls t1 te deep where g rew the tree. 0 earth. what changes hast th ou seen Ther e wher·e thE' long street roai'S, ltath been The stillness of the central sea," for we know t hat during the Ordovician period this part of New South Wales wa,.c; covered by a fairly deep sea, the surface water of which t eemed with minute or ganisms called Radiolaria whose siliceous sh ells, as the animals died, fell to the sea bottom and built up the thick deposits of black and grey radiolarian chert. Then later in the Silurian period, there existed a warm, shallow sea into which enormous quantities of mud were empt ied by rivers, and t his subsequently hardened into shale. It seems that t.he supply of muddy sediment was then cut off, the waters became clear and were peopled by immense numbers of marine invertebrate animals which secreted carbonate of lime from the water and built up hard calcareous structures . Century fol lowed century. The hard structures ac cumulated on the sea-bottom until a deposit over 450 feet in thickness was formed, thus cor1stituting the bed of limestone in which the caves occur·. Then floods of muddy sedi m ent again came sweeping down, killing the lime-secret.ing organisms, and so again beds of shale were laid down. T he Skeleton Cave. From time to time considerable numbers [Courtesy of .Y.S. W. Govt. Touri-st Btweau. of bones of marsupial animals have been found in t he earth which abounds in many places in t he caves such as, for instance, sence of coarse water-worn pebbles in all those of Thylacinus, t he Tasmanian tiger, t he cavP.,s show t hat th e different cave-levels a carnivorous marsupial extinct on the wet·e progressively formed. It follows from mainland of Australia but still found in this that t he highest caves are t he oldest Tasmania. A discovery of considerable in t he lower ones being younger. As regards terest was that of an aboriginal skeleton in the stalactites and stalagmites they were a cave in 1904 drn·ing exploration by Messrs. formed later by the dripping of rain-water J. C. Wiburd and J. C. Edwards. The through the r ocks . The water evaporated Sk eleton Cave is a very lofty chamber im and left a thin layer of limestone. Needless mediately under the Cathecb·al Cave, 60 feet to say, it tak es a very long time to get an below the level of the Bone Cave, and about .appreciable amount by this m eth od. The 350 feet from t he surface. usual rate quoted is one inch p er t h ousand years, but this can make no pretence to 'rhe remains are lying ventra.l surface .accuracy, because t here have been periodic downwards, and are now cemented to the variations in the water supply. fl oor by a thin deposit of stalagmite. A calculation based on t he length of the femora But what was the origjn of the great mass indicates that the unfortunate individual of rock in which the caves occur ~ Whence was about 5 feet 10 inches high, while the did it come ~ To answer this we must t ur n ossification of the epiphyses and the de. to geology and in doing so we are reminded of velopme11t of the teeth show that he was an Tennyson's lines : adult, in all probability a male, but. we cann ot 60 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE aborigines have been found in ca.vc's. Jn Europe it is quite a common t hing itJ fin LfVfl of underground riuer vertical section of portion of the Jenolan Caves, New South Wales. (Afll'l" 0. 'l'ril'krtt. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 61 Organic Evolution: BY C. ANDER:soN, M.A., D.Sc. [From a lecture delivered in the Museum, September 2nd, 1926.] HEN we look round on animated nature ungulates, rodents, bats, carmvores? and Wwe are struck by the seemingly endless others. variety and complexity of living things, The order Marsupialia eontains several yet we find that these can be reduced to order families, such as the Peramelidae (Bandi and arranged into groups characterised by a coots), Dasyuridae (Native Cats), Phascolo fundamental unity of structure. The first myidae (Wombats), Macropodidae (Kan and most important division is into plants garoos). Of these the Macropods are the and animals, which .form two great branches most numerous and most. characteristic or organic kingdoms. In this aTticle we are Australian mammals; they are distin concerned mainly with organic evolution g~ished outwardly by their relatively long as exemplified by animals. h1~d leg~ and (usually) hopping gait. Of th1s family there are several kinds, some CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS. large, some comparatively small. Of these . To understand what is meant by evolution a number can be grouped together by their it is necessary to have some knowledge of close similarity into a genus, to which the the principles and facts of classification, name .1l1acmpus is given. Other members which depends upon similarity and dis of the family re.ceive other generic names similarity in outward appearance and in such as Pet'rogale (Rock Wallaby), Dend!ro ternal structure. lagus (1'ree Kangaroo). But in the prvcess Thus animals are first of all divided into of subdivision we can descend still lower than two main groups or sub-kingdoms, those with the genus. The genus J.l!l acropus, for example, a backbone (Vertebrata), and those without contains several species, such as J.l!lacropus (Invertebrata). Among vertebrates there giganteus (Great Grey Kangaroo),'~Macropus are several classes, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, robustus (Wallaroo), J.l!lq,cropus mfus (Red birds, and mammals, each member of a Kangaroo). The species is the unit of class having the characters of its class. classification, although stm smaller groups, Thus mammals are distinguished by the sub-species or varieties are sometimes recog fact that for some time after birth the young nized. Animals belonging to the same are nourished on their mother's milk. They species are markedly similar in all essential are moreover warm-blooded, have a hairy characters and will interbr eed and produce covering, a four-chambered heart, and many fertile offspring. The Great Grey Kangaroo, other skeletal and anatomical features which then, shares the name J.11ac1·opus with several separate them from the other classes of other animals, which resemble it closely yet vertebrates. differ in certain features, but the specific Mammals can be divided still furt,her into name g1:ganteus belongs to it alone, and its sub-classes. The Monotremes, represented scientific designation is j l([acmpus g1:ganfetts, by the platypus and the echidna of Australia, which expresses its zoological position. constitute the sub-class Prototheria, the Every animal can be pigeon-holed in a members of which lay eggs from which the similar manner, and we see, therefore, that young are hatched ; the sub-class Methatheria every animal has a number of relatives, includes the Marsupials, the young of which some close, others more remote, relationship are born in a very helpless immature con being indicated by simj}arity of structure dition ; the Eutheria or Placental Mammals and reflected in the S(;heme of classification. are born in a more highly developed state, It is a very strikin~ fact that animal::! fall and are distinguished in other ways from the naturally into cbsses, orders, families, a.nd more primitive monotremes and marsupials. gene1·a, ba~ecl on structural feature::; which In such sub-class there are onE' or more are used to nnito certain forms and to separate orders; the monotremes and marsupial them from others. Tt is one of the problems sub-classes each contain one order only, of the zoologist to explain why this similarity but the placentals fall into several orders, of structure bxists. 62 ADAPTATION. kinds of anima l~ hn.d ori ginah·cl by t h (·t rsu 1 ~ . Another striking featurE-' exhi bitP.d by formation of ouc kind into an()thr·r by fllJI'(·ly pla.nts and animals is the wonderful manner natural pt·oc<'S!'!Cs. 'J 'hrN' hundred yf·ar~ in which t hey are ada.pted to their environ before the birth of Chris t , the C.:T'N·k ment and mode of life. Vertebrates which philosopher aHcl sc holar Ari stot l ~", one of th(! habitually live and move rapidly in wa.ter most learned men_ of all time:, h adgli m~ crings usually h1:tve a torpedo shape and smooth of this explanation of the complcx1ty and Jlowing outlines; think of ".Vha.Ies, diving wonder of life. H e Raw in nat nrc, clin1Jy birds, and fishe.s. Birds and ba.t~ are won perhaps, a process of progressive changf' derfullyconstructe.rlfor lightness and strengt.b which we IlOW ca.ll evolution. to enable them to conqner the air . Climbing Aristotle advised m en to study natur<', and burrowing mammals have well marked but for centuries after his t.ime they ignored characteristics, which fit them for t.heir nature an d sought knowledge only in the special spheres. works of Aristot le himSlelf. There i!S probably no parallel in histor y to this slavish fol WRY AND HOW 1 lowing of authority and consequent halt in For at least two thousand years men have th e march of k n owledge. For nigh tiYo asked themselves these questions. How th ousand years knowledge of natural have species come into t>xistence 1 Why do phenomena progre sed but little, for it was anima.Js exhibit simHarities in structure chained to the rock of Aristotelian authority. which enable us to brigade t hem into su h So evolutionar y theory languished fr om kingcloms, classes, ordf\rs, genera, and species 1 the t irue of Aristotle u ntil t he middle of the How have animals acquired the adaptations 16t h cent.ru·y. But th e germ was till alive, and fit.Jle.c;ses that excite onr wonder and and Bacon again proclaimed tJ1e mutability admira.ticn 1 of species as the res ult of variation. de There are two an.~wers to t hese questions. claring that n ew specjes e oulrl. be produced One is t.hat di fferent arumals have come into from pre-existing species. By the I th rxistence by an act of special creati0n ; the century the study of nat ure had advanced other that they are the prorluct of a gradual considerably, and men like Buffon, Erasmu process of evolution. Darwin, Oken, Goeth e, and particularly If special creation is th ~ true solution, L amarck, had f or mulated and ann ounced the then sprcies are permanent and have alway~ docttine of organic evolution as an ex been ancl. will a.lways be t he same. If planation of t he formation of sp l."c ies alld of eYolution is the master key then species are adaptation , affirming t h at new specirs are not fixed but are produced by long contiimcd derived from old hy n atru·al tra.n~f ormatio11 , modification of pre-existing forms. On the and t hat adaptations come by re pon ·e to hypothesis of :::pecia.l crHation animals and environmental needs. plant<; fit theil' environment. beca.use> t hey But. tills was heresy , a.11d all the wE> igbt of were nuule for t.hat environment and for no ecclesiastical aut.horitv an d of influential other. If IWOlut,ion is true tht>n thE>y have naturalists such a· Cuv'ier, t hrn at the height gradually acquired fitness by a. long and of his fam<', were thrown ittto t he scalr pa.inful proce-ss. against acceptance of t he t ransformati on hypothesis. HlSTORY O!l' F.VOI,UTWNA.RY 1.'HEORY. It was not until t he publication in 185H The doctrine of special cr <:>ation is set of Charles Darwjn's gr eat wor k , 'l.'h P. Origin forth jn the first chapt er of Genesis ; it is a of Species by Nabaal S election , that the simple artd beautiful story. It is also ex arguments in fa v c,ur of evolution wr rc r l<'arly pounded by Milton in Pamdise Lost, one and convincingly S<"ti forth. 'fbis is one of of the gl'andf'st poC'ms in the E ngUsh tongue. the most important books cv <'r wl'itt en. for it But a story is not neces.,arily true because it transfonoed. the whole nut look of nuw. und is simple and beautiful, and man always indeed may be said to havt' inan o·uratrd n strives after a natural rather t han a super r ev_olution in h nma-11 t honght . Rh· Al'thur natural explanation of things around h im. Qmller -Couch ea lls it ' ' t h 0 b j DARWJ~ AND EVOLUTION. ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL SELECTION. The idea of evolut.ion did not, th~n , Darwin noticed tbe facility with which originate with Darwin, but it was h e:! who man can hy selective hreeding " create " d.i fferent races of domestic animals, such as first made a serious and successful attempt to pigeons, cattle, and sheep, the various breeds disco,·er a. ·method of evolution and gave differing so much in appearance that it is body to the rather unsubstantial imaginings sometimes difficult to believe that they are of his predecessors. descended from common ancestors. He set Tt is interesting to enquire how Darwin himself to discover some agency which woulrl take the place of the breeder, tbat is he was led to make an attempt to solve this sought for some process of natural selection. age-old problem, and h ovv he was directerl. Here the key was put in his hand by the to the solution set forth in his work, He reading of :-w essay by Malt hus, who reasOJ.t.ed had served as naturalist on t he sm·veyittg that as population increases more rapiclly vessel Beagle on its voyage round t he world than food supplies, population wonld outrun in the years 1831-6. On the voyage Darwin, food production but for the working of at the outset a believer in the permanence factors such as early death, accident, war, of species, noticed certain featw·es con pes·tilence, and other means whereby in -cerning the animal inhabitants of different crease is checked. Da.rwin, seeking for some check on the increase in animals, found countriE>s, particularly South America, which it in the led him to ponder the question whether species are immutable, or plastic and subject. STRUGGLE ~'OR EXISTENCE. to cha.nge. H e learned, for example, that It is easy to see tha.t if allowed to multiply the peculiar mammalian fauna of South without restraint animals would increase .America was preceded by r elated hut different so ra.pidly that the world would soon be too forms, whose fossil r emains ~~re now found small to afford them room even. For buried in the red soil of the pampas. Why example a pair of birds produce, say, fom· should there be this close correspondence young in a year, If all the young and the betweeu the ]j ving and the extinct forms parents survive until next season their in a given area 1 Cuvier believed that numbers would be i1;.creased three-fold. Rut periodic cataclysms of nature destr oyed the we know t hat in general t here is no such living fauna of a country, which was t.hen increase. lri other animals productivity succf'eded by fresh creations, but Darwin is much greater than in birds, and the l')OS could not understand why t.he newly created sihilities of increase are enormous. A cod form-; should show a close relationship to will produce nine million eggs in a season. ; those that had been destroyed. On his if every egg hatched and all the young return to England this question was still in cod r eached maturity and in turn _pr oduced, his mind, and he tells us that jn 1837 h e in ten yea.rs the ocean would be a solid mass commenced taking notes and r ecording of cod. So if all the descendants of a single every fact that seemed to him to have any pair of oysters lived until there were great bearing on the problem of the origin of great-grand chHdrcn, which would be only a species. For years he continued his obser short time, the mass of shells would be vations and accumulati01j of facts, his notes eight times the size of the earth. There beca.me voluminous, he continually sifterl. must be a tremendous loss of life. Many and abstracted, testing \Tarious h ypothr;:.;es, are born but few survive ; of the thousands until in 1844 he was convinced that 01.~.e of ~cedlings which enter the race only a few species can be transformed into another, become tall timber, and onJy a fraction of but for f.lteen years mor e he cont.inued his the mosquito larvae that are hatched li 're researches before he felt justified in pub to become adults. lishiltg his conclusions in rl.etaH, though the It is obvious that the weeding-out process joint abRtract bv Darwin and A. R. vVallace, js not a haphazard one, a.nd it must haYe an independent~ discoverer of the principle definite r esults on the race. On the averag<.' 0f natural selection, was given to the world the fortuna.te survivors are in some way in 1858. bPtter equipped than their companions for 64 t he battle of life. The struggle for e ~ds tencc opcra.ics .mcrd y in i ht' din ·dion ()r nu, • • 4 • llf! is so keen that cycn small variations from the organr sm t o , ... H CJl\' II'(>Jtnw n t., and tll· t t he a''erage may turn the scale ; a slightly t his procc. s may in cc·rta in c·as<'s ~ p <· ll 0~.. keener sight, a more delicate sense of smell, a gei•eration . Parasit es arc admira bly fittNI little stro11gct· fli ght, a greater t urn of speen, for their· peculi a r and JfERlW!T\' .A ~ D DESCEXT. mechanical process, an d L am a rck reasoned t hat t his acquired charact er could be tran.. The unfit. are weeded out and the fit mitted. ' Vhether or not t he efiect s of u. e s11n·i ,.c becau. c of some advantage, perhaps ~nd disuse, or of ch~rac t e_r s acquired during very in-s ignificant, that they have over their life, can be transmitted 1::; clou btful. It is fellow.. Th e survivors t.ran,~ru i t. thf'ir quali more generally believed t ha.t the germ cell , ties to th eir progPny; the unfit leave uo which are t he agent s of heredity, are not de cendants, or at any rate a smaller number . affected b,y acquired bodily or somatic 'l'Jw~ the offspring inherit t he favourable charact ers . The D ar winians, therefore, lw va,riatioJ:s wh ich enabled the parents t o win lieve that t he giraffe is long n ecked berause in Ji{e's race, t hese they transmit., l'f' ·in those innividuals which happened to ha\'C foreed perhaps, to theiL'. descendants. In longer necks th an t heir fellows had a.n ad this ma.nnor variations become fix ed, and the vantage in food-grtting, they li 'red longer process goe· on through untold ages until and left more descendants than t h ose with the last dc,cendants havP varied so much shorter necks . L ong-neck ed giraffPs becarue fr om the original . tock that zoologists would th r. fashi on as it were . no longer cla. s t hem a the same speciet', nor perhap. place them in the same genus, or F.Vr D ENC~ FOn EYOI.liTIOX . evrh in the same order. It may be argued Now what is t he eYidence f or t he truth of that we have no in t anccs of such n ·ans t his pr o c~ ess of orgaJ:ic eT"olution ? The formations hav-ing bec11 ob. erved in nature. evidence n1 ay b P- marshalled under ,·ari ow lt is true that we cannot poi nt t o many heads. ea. e . though we can instance a few very striking changes which have occurred in (1) llforzJhological (slructuml). The fact that numbers of nltimals ca11 he groupC'rl rcla.livcly short pcri odr of time. But i~ together b cr au ~c of an undcrlvincr s imilarity mu. be· remcmhcrcd t hat t he span of ' 0 • t f human life is Ycry short, and that even t h r o str u ~ t lll: c, a co r~1m o n architect ural plan. \\ holo 'flCriocl during which man has been s ur e~Y: m~ l wa tcs k m~hi p and dc~cC' nt with nn intrlligcnt ob:::rrver is but as a. lightning mod1f1 cH,t10n from a common <"lllet' tor. fl ac:; h in the immensity of gPological t ime. Tho pr'C'Sr ncc of 'i'e.st?'gial ·true tu res is <1 common fca.t urc t hrouo·hm1t the.: thcrdorc of hi~tor i cal impor tancE>, R,lld act as favour·abl C' conditions, we might be able to !=: ip:npost. along the pnth of d<"SCf'nt . Prese.nt trace t he gradual tran format ion of series of daysnakC's al'c li mbless, but t he python ancb ts forms into others, and tbns t o construct r cl~t i Y<'S havc vestigial hind limbs, which are gE>ncalogical trees. We do find snC' h evidence, mere spurs rxtcrna lly, but on dissection in ~p i tc of the lamentable gaps and impE'r thev ar C' srcn t o contain sf',Teral of thf' bo:nes fections in th C' geological record. Thus we Jwr"Tnally fonneri in a fully developed limb. can t race the evolution of the one-toed \Ye infer, therefore, t hat snakes are des horse of to-day from ancestors with several 1 cended front limbed a.11cestors . Whales are toes on each foot : we have learned the tlw descendant of la.nn a.nimals which h ave pedi grees of the ca.mels, of the cr ocodiles hecome adapted to an aquatic existence, a.nd of sever al other kinds of animals, ver dul'ing which process t hey have lost t heir tebrate and inver tebrate, by a study of the hairy covering and external r elics of hind fossil remains of t heir forerunners. Indeed limbs, t he organ of loc omotion being the tail. geological history offers perhaps the best But em bryo whales have a. hairy covering; proof of evolution. at birth, howcvC'r , all t he hair is shed, wit h the exception of a few bristles r ound t he ( 4) Zoogeog·raphical. The facts of geo mouth and t here is usually n o extern al graphical distribution of plants and animals trace of hind limbs, t h ough a few bones afford str ong pr oof of the truth of evolution. may be fonncl, a in the python, deeply If a ni ma l~ · were specially created their buried in t he fl esh . In man t her e are a bout pre~f'nt distribution would be difficult to 180 ve. tigial structures in various pa.r ts of explain. Why for example are the animal his anatomy. populations of two countries such as Great Britain and New Zealand so very difff'rcnt, Special creation offers no explanation of though t.he climates and ph ysical conditions the occurrence of vestigial structures: but if arc very similar? Special creation offer~ no existing animals have evolved we should rea ona ble explanation. But if we suppose expect to find s uch structure/3 . t hat t he course of evolution has been dif ferent in t he two places owing t o t he fact (2) lEmbTyolog?·ca.l . E arly stages in de t hat their geological history has been dif. velopment throw 1nuch light on the past life ferent t he difficulty disappears. Why again of a race. All animals pass through corn-· does the mammalian popul:ttion of Australia parable phases in embryonic life and the diff E-r so markedly from that of the nearest. ('mbryos arc very similar in appearance. Al1 cont inE'nt? The charact ed stic ma.mmals of :tart from a one-cclled condit ion , the eel! Australia are the monotremes and marsupial~, divides, f or ming a solid aggregat e or moTula, f or t he reason t hat, when Australia was from which a hollow embryo, t h e blastu la coJonil'-ed by mammals, the higher forms a-; results, and later a t v;ro-layered sac or ga.stTula. we know them did not exist . They were From this point developmen t differs in evolved lH-ter , but by t hat time Australi:1. di fferent grou ps. The human embryo, for had become an island and higher n1ammal5 example gradua lly assumes t he characters were unable to enter, except the bats, whi cl~ appropriate to vertebr ates, and of course can Ay, r-a,ts and mice, which perhaps crossed . hare· these with other vertebrat es. F or t he intervening sc>a on floating Jogs, and the example i t shows four g1'll-slit.s. and t he t ail dingo, which was probably introduced by is not only present in t he embryo but is free man . T he marsu pja.ls, finding no forruidabk and movable. In t he adult human the r i va l ~ h0re, evolved in many different dircc dPgencratc tail is concealf' d beneath the "ions by a process of what Pr ofessor H . F . ftE's h, but dissection reveals its presem~c , and Oshorn ealls adaptive radiation, so we have a also rudiments of the muscles which were great wealth of ruar~upi al forms in Australia, once used to wag it. while in other countrie~ they have become extinct or g r e::~ , tJ y dep] eted by t he· severe (3) .Palaeontological . If the animals of competition of higher forms better fitted for to-day are t he product of evolution. we lif0's ba.tth'. should fi nd ancestr al f orm~ buried in t he r ocks which wcr·<' laid down in mud, sand, or ooze, at t he time when these ancestors JSee Austr. jlJu,s. 1\far;., vol. ii., No. 8, 1 p. livf'd ; we• should also expect t hat, under 260 265. 66 THE A USTitALlAN M Uf:iE UM .MAGAZlN~: Wombats and their Ways. BY CHARLES BARRE'£T, C.M.Z .S. IONEER settlers - w4o had perhaps hilly parts of south-eastern Australia, is P never hea.rd of Bo-bo, son of the swine notable for differ~nces ; none of the other herd, Ho-ti-enj oyed " roast pig," OT marsupials resemble Phascolomy.s, familiarly at least an aboriginal dish as delicious to known to bush men as the "badger., He their palates as that which delighted the is strong as his form denotes; a mighty lubberly Ch inese boy. Cha.rle,c; Lamb's essay d i gg~r , and of ve1y independent nature. i. thus linked reminiscently with the wombat. He is well able to endure hardship, for 1\fcat-hunger of fa.milies on some remote womba.ts have been observed stanrling in selections in wombat country, even now, deep snow on a mountain slope in Victoria.. Youn~ Wombat, about two m onths old. (Photo.- ('. Barrdl. may be ati fied by roasts of Phascolomy.s Life above the snowline, in winter, ngrres mitchelU . It is certain that in old colonial with t he worn hat, a pparC'ntl.v. thongh his days wombrlt hams, smoked in t he wide preference may be for haunts whcrC' thr chimney of many bark anrl log huts, eked spartan in him n C'ccl:-; no fil irring. I Juwc out canty food supplies. met wit h wombats c hid ly in t ht' rn11~cs . But edibility i ~ the least among the thirty to fifty tn il cs from l\fdbm1rn<', 11 ud wombat's claims to consideration. Nor do0s have found t h C' ir b1 11T ow~ wht'l't' ~now falls any grace c~mmend it. Our sturdy, un rarely, jf a.t all. Sig n:s of t.IH'ir prl'~ < 'nr<' arr sociable marstlpial, ·till abundant in many plentiful enough, hut. no I oft<' n an' wombnts THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 67 has trapped many fine " badgers" for Mel bourne Zoological Gardens. The pit-trap is " set " beneath a fence, where wombats have been in t he habit of entering t he farm land through a large hole broken through wire netting. The pit is hidden by nicely balanced boards. Stepping on to one of t hese t he wombat shoots down an incline about six feet and is trapped. This may happen at night or very early in the morning. The captive, in any case, has no long stay in t he pit, a few hours at most. He is r aised by means of stout ropes, looped about his body, and carried to comfortable quarters, t.here to remain until the Zoo lorry arrives : then comes a motor trip to Melbourne. Another method of capture is to place a large and strong t rap of wood and wire netting in the mouth of a tenanted burrow. The wombat cannot leave home without entering the trap-ca.ge, and when he has passed the "swing-door," he can neither advance nor retrace his steps. H e has space to move about a little, and though confined, is not cramped. Scenting danger, The Pit-tr ap. a wombat may der.line to come out for a day [Phot.o.-C. Barrett. or two until hunger makes him vent1lresome. Occasionally, the t.rap is butted away by an seen in daytime, when, generally, they angry determined '' badger.'' remain at home, or rest close to t he " door Badger baiting, an old English sport, is way," ready to disappear down t he burrow in my opinion, cowardly ancl hateful. at the approach of an intruder. Wombat hunting with dogs is not much Since it is a nocturna.l animal, we have no better, though where the animals are very complete biogra.phy of the wombat: its destr uctive raicling campaigns aga.inst them ways a.fter dark are rather conjectured than are perhaps justifiable. Hunting t.hemfor known. Of cour.se we are aware that it sport alone is-well, not sp·ort at ' all. shuffles from its burr ow, on little excursions A wombat, given fair play, may win in a or long ones, in quest of food-succulent fight with dogs. Many a hound that has native plants, or t-he farmers' crops maybe. ventured deep into a burrow, jntent on We know that it breaks th1·ough fences, t hat ejecting the owner, has returned to hi · it has a liking for new hay, and is not a master, yelping and limping- the would-be craven when cornered. These, and a few biter has been hitten by Phascolomys. A other facts concerning it are familiar to all young naturalist, in capturing a wombat nature lovers, and the bush natur alist has desired as a pet, wa::; bitten on the knee, and more knowledge of the wombat's ways. suffered for weeks afterwards. vVben, with Yet, there is need still for much observation. the valour of ignorance, I put my hand on I attempt an outline sketch only of my su h the head of a newly-captured wo1nbat, Mr. ject, and invite others who have oppor Orchard uttered a warning in time. tunities to note and record what t hey see. Nat,nrally of a grumpy di::;position, wom bats are not difficult to tame, if captured T&APPINO FOR THE ZOO . when young; did not Rossetti, the poet, have a pet wombat which asto11ished fi'iends Recentlv I was afield with 1\fr. Dave who came to dine with him~ Mr. Orchard Orchard, "of Kinglake, Victoria, a keen told me of tame -vvombats that would '·live naturalist, who has hved for many years in abo11 t the house," entering r ooms casually, -country where worn bats are numer ous. H e and wandering here a,nd there, like spoilt. 68 THE A US'fRALJAN M USl •; UM t\JAOA ZI ~ F. The entrance to the Wombat's burrow. The h eavy timber in the vicinity had t o b e s hifte d by the animal prior to the commencement of the burrowing operation s. [Pho(o.-C. Barretl. dogs . 1 'When one was " kicked out," it It was done deliberately, a,n eye witne merely turned and complacently walked declared. indoors again. A dog that. b ad been bitten ever afterwards wen t in fea.r of an oth er e neountE'r \\'ith the A day after its capture, a young wombat at " badger ." Its ter r or eau cd it to hun Kinglake, let out for a run, ate grass amongst j ourneys at night, wh en it seemed to know, bracken while being held by a hind leg. It wombats ar e abroa.d. Som etimes it would seemed to be ped ectly content with its lot, sleep ou tside a hut, di ·ta.nt from it~ mn trr's hut when releasf'd it lumbererl toward a home, fearing to r etuTn bef orE' d?'tyb rea l~ , big log, and tried to burrow beneat h it. when the wombats wou lcl retire 1 o then· \Vas it cnnning that made it feed "\vhile b urrows. This was in the n.rly dny~. wh.cn being held, and show signs of conteJ1tmcnt ~ wombats were so a bundant j n tl1C' clist rJ ct Certainly it was off the mark smart ly when a that hnnch·ecls wct·e sh ot, to be conn.'rt rd into chance to escape occurred. hams or r oasted jointl-3. ·wombats may appear to be stupid, but The dog sto1·y was t old to me. nnd nmchccl they '· rcaMn '' sometimes I believe. A f or , by a reside11 t w h o snid nlso thut. !111d "'lvombat "'IYith two dogs hanging to it maclc wombats been ealkd •· wilcl pi ~~ .·· I he:· 1 for a fallen gum tree whose branches r aised would h ave bee11 " cttt f'll out " ' 'c' nr~ Hg\ • t.hc trunk a few feet above the ground a nd Fresh meat wa,.; not <'tt...~ i ly ob( nir;cd l>.'' thl' htera.llv scraped the doas from its broa.d pioneers in count r·y w h(' l'<' rwit ht•r ~ h l't'P 1\ Another view of the b urrow s howing t he " lead-in " track. [Photo.-C. Barrett. UNDERGROUND HOMES. comes or is waning, it migrates to higher ground. When rain floods its burrow a The wombat's hind feet are provided with wombat will seek temporary quarters in a strong claws for digging and it has strong hollow log, or a deep and roomy rock crevice. will teeth that easily cut throuo-h0 roots when t he It be comfortable if it can. animal is excavating its dwelling, a long Wombats are not fond of company, and, tunnel ending in a cosy chamber with hol t"xcept during the breeding season, live alone. l o~ed r ~of, a " cubby" just large enough to Sh oulrl two fall into a trap, one is likely to fit m, w1th no l'oom for an intruder. be killed by the other, if they are not re A Tapid skilful tunneller, the wombat, moved from the pit faiTly soon. The even in ground wh~re rocks and roots offer hreE>ding sE'ason, Mr. Orchard states, extends obstruction, makf's long burrows. Some through April and June. Each motl1er are so extensive that the worn bat has a has only one infant to rea.r, and more females long journey to bed. Burrows explored tha.n males are born. by " the open-cut " method, have measured Clearing a site for its undt"rground home, more than one hundred feet in length. the runway, and entrance, t he wombat may Through some burrows a child might crawl move heavy logs and other debris. PiJed to the sleepjng-cavern ; a man might go ;:~.round OJle burrow-mouth, in Kinglake several yardq from the entrance. district , I found logs that were heavy weights Co?l places arc chosen by the wombat for me. Wombats are n ot afraid of wol'k, for Its burrow. It h as summer hatmts tJ1 ough they do doze a way many h otn·s. ncal' a stream, perhaps, and when autumn They are hui]t for underground labom . 70 T H E A USTitA LI AN M OSJ•; U~1 MALA%1~1·; Wombats seek s helter in or under logs. [Photo.-C. Bam /l. They arc animal artisans, whose t,rade is isles from which it had been recorded. But. 1nnnel1ing and nature has equipped t hem in 190R, when a party of natm·alisL ,-isitcd thoroughly. Examine a wombat's skeleton, Flinders I land, c\·idence of its mTi ,·al was it indicate. strength and the hind-feet claws obtained. vVc entered a.n old hut habih1tion arC' clearly for digging in the ground. of a Cape 13a.rren I .. Jand<"r ~·ho hncl Hll " estate " on Flinders, and on tJH' floor CLl.IES AXD A QlJEST. noticed two ragged, m oth -eaten fur-mats. They were " bttclger ., :-;kins. These rlues I ha re been wl'i ti ng of the common specie , were eoJi ect cd for the :rationnl :J!useullt. th<' Hairy-no·cd \Vombat, P. latifrons of Melbourne, by ~ lr . J. A. K ersJw"·· the ~ 'oulh .\u tralia. The Tasmanian Wombat, Curator.. 'earch was made for living \\'Olll· P. ursinu.<>, de crvcs "special mention" and bats, whiCh were said t o C);ist infnir munb('r~ I had something to do with its re-discovery. on the is la.nd, but none were sN'n. ~11 bsc· H is smaller than the common wombat, qucntJy, however , :-;cvera Lfine sp<•c i nwns W<'I'C b<'ing about six inches hort.er, and it is of captured by an isla,ndcr, a.nd scn t to .)lel slighter build that 1nitchelli, though suf bow·ne. 1 sa.w t.lw m ~oon aftN their ficiently stut·dy, anrl , in my experience, the arrival, in an enclosure i11 the mu:,;culll vllrd. iRland dwrllcr i:-: more desirable as a p et Th<'y wcr<' CJ uiLo friendly. · than its ally of thr mainland. When in 1900 I hulcl d ncYn.ill 011 J l' find <'l'~ The Ta manian \Vombat was for long Island, in l ~ndPavou t · Bn ~ nn ttH'd nfll'r believed to be extinct on the Bass Strait the HJ.fatC'd 'om nlOtl\\'('a lt'h J c'i~lwrit•s In· THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE 11 vestiga.tion vessel- ! continued the q nest survive for a century or longer, if future for wombats. Fresh footprints, clearly those generations are wiser in conserving native of a badger, were followed from the beach, fauna in large sanctuaries than we have above high-tide mark, to the mouth of a been. Settlement is driving wombats furt.her low cliff-cave. This was the end of the back, but wide aTeas of rocky hill and da.le trail for me. The cave was too small to be still remain as nature made them. entered, so I had to be content with sketching Wombats have little charm for Australians, the exterior of the first island wombat's home seen by a naturalist perhaps for many none at all for the great majority. In other years. countries they excite interest as curious animals from overseas. Here a live wombat SECURE R.ETREATS. is worth less than £1, but a pair may be In some of their haunts on t he mainland, Yalued at. £25 or £30 in Africa, America, or in wild and rugged country, wombats will Europe. The " Resurrected " Snail. BY ToM IREDALE. HE recent report regarding the snail deal of moisture for life, frequenting damp Tthat had forgotten that it was dead was .places and feeding only after rain or when not exaggerated, but much belated. As dew lies on the ground. Through circum the event. took place some seventy odd vears stances, probably beyond their control, some ago, yet was deemed of sufficient public of these have become isolated in desert interE>st to find a place recently in the cables regions, and have acquired the habit of of our daily papers, the true facts may still aestivation or dormancy during heat and be acceptable. dryness . The incident became a classic in scientific In the cold, wet , and wintry North these circles and similar instances have occurred land snails developed hibernating habits ; since. Snails depend largely upon moisture that is, at the approach of winter they re for life, being compa.rat.ively recent adapta tire into sheltered crevices and nooks, and, tions to land life . The sea numbers thousands sealing up t heir mouths ·with a thin epi· of kind'S of sea snails of varied form and phragm, go to sleep. The heart stops beat beauty, generally with strong calcareous ing, and they practically stop brfathing too; very slowly and weakly air is respired through this epiphragm. If the weather becomes too cold they compress themselves into a still smaller space in their shells, and probably many die during this season. In the tropics this process is reversed, the snail li ving in the wet wintry season and sleeping, or aestivating as it is ca.lled, in the summer or The Animal of Helix deser torum Forskal , drawn after its four year s' s leep . dry season. In certain places such as de After Baircl. serts, the drought may be prolonged, but the snails continue in their sleep during coverings which constitute t he " shells " of t he seashore. A considerable nu m her t he dry season whether it bf short or long, have wandered inland, some pa.c:;sing t heir and t hus came about the episode referred to lives in fresh waters, others boldly taking to ~t the beginning of this note. a t en estrial existence, and developing air Some shells were collected in the Egyptian breathing lungs in place of wa.ter-circulating desert, and, as they showed no signs of life, g i1L':! . H owever, they still require a great they were, without examination, r dead. An aestivating snail ca.n be recog and, on th <' sh(• ll ~:; hej ng p hwc·cl i 11 l <· pid water, nized by its weight and coldness, if the some of t he !';naiL.;; revived. This giv<'H a epiphragm be out of sight. One of these definite reco•·d of nearly 1-l ix yc•ar:s' Hl<·cp, but specimens was mounted on a glas tablet on in a scientific periodical of a bo ut on<• hundrc· cl ~larch 25th , 1846, and placed in a show case and fifty years ago a very circum!ltantial in the British Museum. On lVIarch 7th, account was given of a snail's reviving aft<·r 1850, a mark was noticed on the tablet as if fifteen years' torp i dit y . the snail had been trying to move out. The No ~xperi mcnts have yet been carried shell was soaked off the tab]et, placed in out in connection with Australian snnils, tepid water, and the snail crawled out. but it is pos ible that a r<'cord-breaker could A drawing wa taken of this animal and is easily be fou nd here. In the dry interi or here reproduced. snn.il shells are found, and in some case~ As confirmative evidence some snails were snails have been seen after 1·ain where 1:oll ected in Egypt and were placed in a. previously they had been unknown for many Rea.led box and deposited in t he British years. Partf4 of Au~trali a are su bjcct to Museum in Fcbruary, 1904 ; others were dry spells lasting perhaps f or years, and the ~o imilarly treated and kept by the collector, snails would continue torpid throughout the the Re,·d. Dr. A. H. Cook<> . Neatly six period. As a matter of fact such ·nails vear.. afterwards ome of the latter were have been sent, to England by post and ha,·e found to be alin', so on January 17t h, 1910 , revived, and t hey commonly Jive for months the British Muscu m box was broken open, in t in boxc. in this Museu m. Review. Nono.alu Polklore. By GERALD CAMD EN same tendency to r<:'pctition, the sa rne \ VHEELER, B.A. (George Routledge & dramatic quality and taccato sty]<:'. For 'ons Ltd., 1926). From Dymock's. exa.ruple (p. 210) " Mot her look up here·· said she (daughter) . • he looked up: the The author spent four and a half months daughter tipped down lime ; she killed he!·. in the Solomon.s, and for two months so The daughter married. It has been told: journed jn Alu and Mono, Bougainville it has ended. She kil1 ed her mother . Strait Western Solomons. This fine volume, which ' was submitted as a t hesis for t he It has been told : It has ended is the end.'' degree of Doctor of Science ( ~conomics) in It the Unhrersity of London: IS the result. There j s more than a t ouch of pathos in The work is arranued into summary, texts, the following legend (p. 224). translations, notes~ and glossaries. For t~e " Once upon a time a. wuman went: a· most part the stories were taken from diC time went on and went on, she became an tation by Bitrai, a blind man of Mono-alu, old woman: her body got weak. on of the late chief " Big'' Gorai. She went t o a river: she took off her. IJn ; Folk-tales arc an indispensable help to the she threw it into t he river. he came back ethnologist, for they give an i~ ~ ght into the inventive powers and t he : p1ntual a11d to the village. Her grandcJdld was frigh tcncd. ethical evolution of race , and throw many ' Oh ! What art thou a.fra id for ? . iclr lights on primitive customs. The time See, I got old: I have t ak<'n off my skin.' is not far distant when uninfluenced legends It (the child) was afraid; it cried. will no lonaer be obtainable, and Dr. Wheeler dc._erves the thanks of all ethnologists for She went there again. She put on hr r the valuable collection of legends and stories skin : she came back again. presented in the book. The volume also ' U , Uc,' she humm<'d. 'hr brcnmc nu contniHs an important contribution to Me old woman. She died ; :n1 <'n en me t o their lanesian lingui tics. end ; we go on dying. There is some resemblance in these t ales to the saga of the Nor emen; there is the That is t he <'nd ; it, is ovcl'.''