JANU~Th lti, 1:1"31. C(2fo AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE Vol. V, No. 5. JANUARY-MARCH, 1934. Price-ONE SHILLING. B a n ksian Cockatoo. H eg!f!tur od at ~h o <; on el'a l l'osl Olllcj~. Sydney, for· L!· ansmlssion by post as a P~riodlcal. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM HYDE PARK, SYDNEY BOARD OF TRUSTEES. PRESIDENT: F. S. MANCE. CROWN TRUSTEE: J A~IES McKERN. OFFICIAL TRUSTEES : HIS HONOUR THE GH1El•' J USTICE. THE HON. THE PRESIDENT OF THE L1!;0I SLA'rl VE COUNCIL. THE HON. THE COLONIAL SECltBTARY. THE HON. THE ATTOltNEY -GENERAL. 'rHE .B.ON. THE COLONIAL TltEASURElt. THE HON. THE SECRETARY ll'OR P UBLIC WORK~. THE HON. THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. THE A UDI1'01t-GENER.AL. T l:i E PRESIDENT OF THE NEW ~OUT ll WALES MEDICAL BOARD. THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL AND CHIEF SURVEYOR. THE CROWN SOLICITOR. ELECTIVE TRUSTEES : G. l l. ABBOTT, B.A., ~LB., CH.M. F. S. MANCE. E. C. ANDREWS, D.A., F.G.S. THE HON. lt'. E. WALL, :M.D ., )I.L.C. GORRI E )1. BLAIR. PROF. A. N. ST. G. BURKITT, M.l3., B.Sc. C. OORDON ~ r A C LEO D, )[.A., M.D., CH.)!. THE HON. H . .M. HAWKINS, M.L.C., F.R.JU., F.I.L.Y. o. A. WATERJIOUSE, D.SO., B.E., F.E. ·. PROF. W. J. DAKIN, D.Sc., F.L .S., F.Z.S., F.R.Z.S. FREDRICK W. MARKS, F.C.A. (AUSTR.). 1\fA.T.-GEN. SIR CHARLES ROSENTHAL, K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., V.D. DIRECTOR: CHARLES ANDERSON, M.A., D.So., C.M.Z. ·• SECRETARY: W . ·r. WELLS, A .I.A.V. SCIENTIFIC STAFF: ..lfinercrlomt and Petrology. Entmnology and Ararlmolooy . T. HODGE·S)ITT H. ANTHONY )J USGRA YE, F.E.S. R . 0. CHAJJ) rlUtS. A.H.T.C'. K . C. McKlWWN. Pala!onto/ogy. I clltllyolou/1. C. AND~HSON, )LA., D.Sc. Ol LBER'l' P. \Y HITI~EY. H. 0. I•' LE'L'CUF.lt. Ampllibia, Rerpetol oUJ/, and Omitliology. Lou·n lnverteorates. .J. R. KINORORN, C.M.Z.S. F. A. )l cNB [J~ L. .l1 amnwlorm and Osteology. A. A. Ln'I~OS 'l'O ~R. l<:LUS T.E G. TROUGHTON. W. DO ..\I UHfAN. Autllropology and F:thnolO{IY. Concllology. EL. ll~ DRA:'IfELL, B.A., Dip.Ecl. TO)l IRRDAL'E. 1•'. D. M c~ ARTHY. JOYCE K. ALLA~. LIBRARIAN: W. A. RAINBOW. PREPARATORIAL STAFF: G. C. CLUTTON, Clliej .Arfi('ulator. li . GRANT, Ohief 'l'a.ridermist. HONORARY SCIENTIFIC S TAFF: Zoologists. JIJn/.mnoloo i Rf R. , l' zs. PR.OJl'. '1'. JlAltVEY JOliNSTON, M'.A., D.Sc. G. A. WA'l'ERHOUS l<.:, D. ·c., B.E., li. ~ . ,, F.OWARI> 1•'. IIALLi\lANN, B.Sc. 11 . ,J. <.;A lt'l'lHt, B. A. PROF. K A. URWOS, n.Sc. '1'. H . HUTTl RlE. H. LE!Oil'l'ON K I ~~T IWEN, D.l:>c., M.D. W. W. l<'ROGGA'l'T. MF.U30URNB WARD. Pal€eontologist. Omillwloaisf.~ . W. S. 1> N. A. F. BASSET'L' HULl., F.R.Z. ·. Artlui'O[oyi~l. K. A. lll~[)\\' 001). CH~O LWE A. T II OMAH. ~ MUSEUM M AGAZINE Till~ B.\XK:::; OF Tlm 1> .\I"'Y RIYER. Ar'Wl'HuLU. Ox Xounr A. )JoitL ~-\.TIYE Fisn­ BPE.\HI~C Pro?lti.~;piP ce TnnA:\' P trRPLE : Ax !\ . .clllan .Axn1~XT I ~otrs'L'HY-Joyce 147 HI·: \'J tnn; 'l'IIE Ct"l)J)IE PHlXC:S B OXE BED-C . • lnder "()Jt , J/ .. -1 .~ n .. 'c .. (' ..ll.Z.N .. and H. 0. PI etcher l£52 ] i) '1()2 ~\t·sTJL\L T AX \Yoon )[o'J' Ji s- .Yancy H. Adams 1:)!) \YJLII X.\TrHE IX Xowrll ~\ n;n·L\LL\-fl lt arlrs Harrett) e .. II.Z.I(;!,, 163 T 1n: ::\fJ c riTY PoLYP- Fra/lk .1. JlcXfill 170 '1' Il l·: ) r11>- X Ol{TIJ Co.\ ST-/l. 0. (' lwl m ers' . I _/-.,'_ '/'. (I. 17:3 E 'l'll XOLOC:IC'.\L X OTES 179 • OUR FRONT COVER. rrhe Banksian Cocltatoo (Oalypto1·hynch1ts 1Ja11ksi Latham) is by Lilian :\ledland. It is one of the series of postcards issued by the Australian Museum. The Banksian Cocl<a.too was named after . ir J oseph Banks, who accompanied Cook upon his first Yoyage, and secured a specimen of this bird at Botany Bay. ll is not so common in the coastal region as the Yellow-eared Black Cockatoo, but is generally distributed over the eastern half of Australia. Black Cockatoos feed chiefly upon the wood-boring grubs of moths and beetles, which they obtain by tearing away ba rk and wood with their immensely powerful beaks. Except in the bt·eecling season, they fty in small flocks of from six to ten or more, and utter a curious wailing cry. A single white egg is laid, in a hollow spout of a tall tree, usually at a great height. Though Black Cockatoos can be kept in captivity, they do not mal<e tractable pets lil<e white \'arieties. VOLUME V, NUMBER 5. JANUARY-MARCH. 1934. On the banks of t h e D nly R i vc", N ort ll A w strali:a. A .IU o- iH Jt:tt i vc Uslt-Slle a r illt;• (See page 1 63. ) [ P h oto.-Ch m ·l es B(lrr ett. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGA ZINE Published by the Australian 1~Itt settm College Street, Sydney Editor : c. ANDEHSOX, ~:LA. , D.Sc., c.-~r.z.s. An nun 1 Snbscription, Post Free, 4/4 VOL. Y, So. 5. J ..l.XU.ARY-MARCH, 1934. T yrian Purple : An Ancient Industry BY JOYCE K. ALL.\~. I"XCB the tirne of t he illustl'ious among~t iht> mounds of broken purple­ S wl'i te1·s of olden clays, much has shells t lw J·<•, i hi~ fa<'t has no·w been pl·ac­ been wl'ittcn concerning the famous tically rstabli ~hed. Tyl'ian Purp1t> but, as in the case of l\Im~t wdters grn nt, however , t hat the many oi lw t• m·t~, oHly fa lmlons tales now Phcrnh-ianR, i hosp 1·ema1·kably industrious exist abont its t1· np ol'igiu.. One of the me1·chan1R, who in their commercial beRt known is ilw story of Ilercules, who waR walking 011 i lw seaRh o1·e with a benutifnl 11ymph, of whom he was at that timc e11 amoln·<.•<l, a nd h is dog. The dog found a .lfur<'.J· Rll(-'11. and c-1 fte.L- e~ting the animaL itR monih hc<·mne stai11ed \Yith btigbt pm·ple. Ro entlu·allPd was t he nymph with t hiR \\'OJHl<>l'ful colour t h at shE' pe1·Rml<l <'<1 IT Pl'('lll<'s to ]H'OYide her with a gown of' jnst that tonP, }lnd ~o ar·osE' th<• popularity of 'I'yl'ian Purple amonw;;t tlw <m<·i<-nts. Thongh mnny lw li<'Y{'(l that it was the PlHPnician~ who fi n:;i fli scover·ed the art of pm·p1r-dyeing, it i s llOW gener}l lly thonght 1 ha1 t h e nnd<•nt inh abitants of thr I ~lan<l of C r·P1<• ill 1hc l\ fPclitE'ITanran l •' rn111 Chis SJit>dt•s nf ..lfurex s Jaell (JUurcX b t·:and:eri.s), :uul :.notltcr Sl)ecie~ (:l'Ju~:! not only knPw ol' i1 H c:xiRtence, hut 1rtnl<'u lus) , Cht' :an<•it•Ja1:s obttuiaecl f grt•nCt•r 11:1rC of H l l' fluid_ u ecess:trY or fo11owrd ll]> ihr inclm·d t·y long bE'fOI'E' thr tlu•ir f:unous Tyrt:Jn (lye. !! del P1HPnitinn!-l dicl. From pddence fomHl [Joyce K . A an, · 148 'l' II E AUSTHAL LA.N l\ ltJ H I ~U ~ l MAUA~l !\ 1 •:. .J A~. Jf; JC)'II ' . •) .. \\' llt•n it l iJ·st t•nwJ·~<·d 1' 1·CJJ11 llH· HllirnaJ <·on1t·<tt·y to llw fhticl \\"l" ,' . I ('XJH'<·I<tllOns, ( ,, rl 1 I 11<· '- <' J'<'H lll ('Olon J·<·<l sn hsta tH·<· lt t . ]' , I I lllllll<'< 1;1 l<>ly on <'XJ><~snl'<' to sunlight it pas:-;<•tl t ht·o11 gh n set·ws of hrio·ht Y<'ll<) . I t> • \\, gT<'<.'ll. ll> u1s 1, an<l pluplish J·cd <·olon .. Tl . I · l!-i. 1 1 ~ <· 1Hllg-P o{ <·olonr wa.· ahn1~·:-; <H·tom pnni<•d sm r ll. diffitult t hy <tn ofTt>nHi\'P 11 l'('lllO\' (' PH'tl • ft·mn tht' <lY• e<l matc•J·i·1-< 1• ult([., t h 1.s \\' Hs snppoHP<l io he thl' 1·eason why \\'t.'Hl'PI'H of '( '~ · t·iall l )lll'}>le ell \\'<l}'S ll HP;l :·dl'O llg' p<•l'f'tmH~H . 'r'h P tlni<l W<ls gi n•n off by the animal!\ wlwn ll <llHlle(l o1· dh;hu·bed, ;-llld wn!-l ]n·obcthly p1·oi<'('ti\'r, like th<' iuk of' the (; J mw t ~ · :.sstH•inh•ll with t h e :Jiu rex s h e lls in tht• Jllll'JIIt• cl;n.- industry t· u i11<· - fi~h. 'r o Pxtn1et t his, the Nnl" w:es this s mnll stH•c.•it•s of Pur})Ul":t s h t• 11 ( P 11 rtlla r ;t I;IJ• i llu s).