193 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Written descriptions convey but a slight impression 

 of Sydney Harbour. Within the heads, altogether 

 hidden from the sea approach, lie numbers of peace- 

 ful creeks, bays, and protected sheets of water pene- 

 trating inland in all directions, surrounded with 

 verdure-clad rocks and thickly-wooded land to the 

 very water's edge. Charming suburbs fringe the 

 sandy bays, and deep water extends in most parts 

 right up to the rocky coast line. More than ten 

 miles up the harbour, where the steam ferry crosses 

 from the Circular quay to North shore, there is 

 fifty to sixty feet of water in the main channel ; and 

 in Middle Harbour a steamer goes direct to the 

 rocky ledges to land passengers ; no landing stage is 

 required, for the depth of water is ample. 



One of my first experiences was in shark fishing. 

 One or two young officers of the " Victoria" started 

 off in a tiny steam pinnace with ingeniously contrived 

 tackle to snare a wily monster of the deep. An 

 enormous hook and line was baited with a leg of 

 salt pork ; an empty biscuit-tin being used as a float. 

 In less than an hour the whole concern disappeared 

 suddenly beneath the water ; most vigorous tugging 

 indicating that we had a bite. In a few minutes 

 it was an open question whether our frail boat should 

 be spun round and round at the sweet will of an 

 infuriated shark, or whether we might tow him 

 securely to shore. Eventually he was drawn ashore ; 

 the head was cut off to ornament the bows of the 

 boat as a trophy, and a careful measurement gave 

 the entire length of the beast as fourteen feet ; in his 

 stomach were a goodly number of recently swallowed 

 fish. The party on returning to the ship received 

 an ovation, and regained the deck literally swollen 

 with pride. 



I had often enough heard of the Port Jackson shark, 

 and besides the rows of sharp-pointed teeth, I could 

 not help being struck with the smooth, ribbed palatal 

 teeth, not so unlike those excavated from the Sussex 

 Chalk, I think of the genus Ptychodus. In fact, the 

 connection of the Australian flora and fauna with 

 past geological periods crops up at every turn you 

 take in the country. 



Shortly after landing in Sydney, I sat down to 

 lunch at Petty's Hotel. The first thing offered 

 happened to be fresh oysters — a mollusc I never eat 

 in the raw state. At a glance, I perceived something 

 strange about them, and took a specimen on my plate 

 for examination. It was for all the world like the 

 fossil Ostrca carinata that I had so often hammered 

 out from the greensands in the Isle of Wight. Each 

 valve is long in proportion to width, crenulate at the 

 edges and quite unlike the English "native." They 

 appear succulent, judging from the manner in which 

 they were disposed of at lunch. Any quantity can be 

 gathered from the rocks in Sydney Harbour, as Dr. 

 Taylor remarks, in his interesting Australian book.* 



* ' Our Island Continent.' 



Clusters may be seen from the Botanic Gardens 

 skirting the bay. 



At the Sydney Museum, through the kindness of 

 R. Etheridge, Esq., I saw a fine series of the recent 

 Trigonice, strange survivals of the past. At least 

 three species remain, the largest in Tasmanian waters, 

 the two other occurring in isolated spots near Sydney. 

 The initiated few can usually dredge up a specimen 

 or so, but the localities are not generally known. 



Here again the life history of this bivalve throws us 

 back to Oolitic and greensand epochs. The small 

 species, with circular knobs on the ribs, is the rarest, 

 and at once reminded me of a larger type from the 

 Atherfield clays — Trigonia dtcdalia, I think. 



On the beach at Manly, I saw a small boy carrying 

 an octopus nearly as long as himself. It had been 

 stranded on the sand, and he had secured his prize. 

 Each tentacle must have exceeded a foot in length, 

 and the hideous creature changed colour,' blushing, so- 

 to speak, from purple to red. His prominent eyes 

 started from the head, and the double rows of suckers 

 still had adhesive powers. 



On another occasion I was in the fish-market, and 

 bought a dozen cuttle-fish (sepia) by auction for 

 sixpence. These creatures were of great interest. I 

 extracted the internal shell, which, pressed and dried, 

 forms a beautiful object. It might be compared to 

 the feathery end of a quill pen, with clear, trans- 

 parent, talc-like substance in place of feathers. 

 Then I investigated the ink-bag, filled with murky 

 fluid, with which I had no difficulty in writing a 

 letter. It is curious to observe the circulation of 

 inky globules beneath the skin of the sepia ; it causes 

 an incessant change in colour and apparently never 

 ceases. Has the animal the power of forcing the fluid 

 from the bag through the system ; or is the black 

 fluid separated during circulation to be stored up as 

 a defensive power ? I do not know how the matter 

 is originally secreted. Sydney Harbour is full of 

 medusae, squids, and gorgeous floating cephalopoda. 



I spent a happy day rambling through endless 

 marshes — high up in the Blue Mountains, near 

 Katoomba. It was in the month of March, rather 

 late for an abundant flora, but ample material 

 remained, and the sundews alone afforded a day's 

 occupation. 



In the previous week I had gathered specimens of 

 Drosera pygimva, at Watson's Bay, Sydney, a minute 

 plant one-third the size of our own D. rotundifolia y 

 which grows in dense masses of miniature rosettes in 

 the crevices of rocks. 



To-day I found any quantity of D. spatulata, 

 with white and rose-coloured flowers, fully expanded, 

 the specific name accurately describes the leaves, 

 which have also brilliant red hair-glands with dewy 

 points, in many cases having insects attached. 

 Another interesting plant growing by the side of a 

 peaty stream, was D. binnata. It has singular pairs 

 of lineardiairy leaves bifurcating from each stem, thus 



