608 president's address. 



In concluding his letter, W. S. Macleav says of himself — "I am sorry that I 

 have not been able as yet to get any Cyprinidae from our New Holland rivers; but 

 I attribute it to my own residence so far from any river, not to the absence of 

 them. I am promised by friends, who have better opportunities, the result of 

 their researches; but I receive nothing, as they know not how to catch the minute 

 fish of the river. However, I intend to try the Nepean River myself when I go 

 down there, which I soon propose to do [this would be near Brownlow Hill]. In 

 the meantime my residence on the sea-side enables me to increase my collection of 

 marine genera, and if there be any you wish for, 1 shall be most happy to send 

 them. A thousand thanks for your kind method of heating up for insects to be 

 sent me from India. I shall be happy to pay any fair price for the collector's 

 time and trouble. Tell Dr. Cantor that I depend on him to increase my collection 

 of Annulose animals, and that I hope he will soon write to me. Tell him also that 

 I have got a marine serpent of the genus Pelamys, caught in the mouth of Port 

 Jackson harbour, the only one our fishermen have ever seen. If he wishes for it, 

 it is at his service; for he knows infinitely more of .Serpents than I do, and my 

 grand desire is, to increase my collection of Annulose animals .... I shall write 

 you on Echinidae in my next, and send you some the vei-y first opportunity." It 

 was not known at this time tliat the family Cyprinidae is not represented in the 

 Austrahan fauna. But several species have been introduced. 



I do not know what collections W. S. Macleay may have received from India 

 as the result of his offer to Dr. McClelland. But among the memorials of W . S . 

 Macleay are four beautiful coloured drawings of Indian spiders, two of the sexes 

 of a remarkable antlike spider Myrmecarachne macleay i Cantor; and three of re- 

 markable Membracid insects, with remarks on the back of the drawings signed 

 Theo Cantor, Calcutta, May-June, 1841. These were e^ddently sent to him by Dr. 

 Cantor; but I have not been able to find out in what Journal the original descrip- 

 tions of these were published. We have also several reprints of Dr. Cantor's 

 papers, but no letters from him, or from Dr. McClelland. 



Another interesting scrap of information is the following notice of a letter 

 to the editor of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History [Vol. viii., No. 48, 

 September 1841, p. 153].— "Mr. W. K. Macleay writes from Sydney. April 28, 

 1841, that he is much occupied with Natural History, and making large additions 

 to his collection. He gratifies us with good accounts of the health of his excellent 

 father, who is always most affectionately remembered here. R.T."[aylor] . 



John Gould, accompanied by Jlrs. Gould, left England for Tasmania in May, 

 1838, in order to study the birds of Australia; and returned to England in August, 

 1840. After spending some months in Tasmania, he visited New South Wales in 

 1839-40, and South Australia. In the Preface to the "Birds of Australia," he 

 records his best thanks for kindness and help during his stay in New South 

 Wales, among others, to Alexander and W. S. MacLeay, Esqs. Gould probably 

 visited Sydney at least twice, before setting out to collect, with Gilbert, in the 

 interior, and after returning. The letter which he conveyed to Shuckard was 

 dated April, 1840. During one of the visits, W. S. Macleay furnished Gould 

 with the description, and possibly showed him specimens, of a nest-building rat, 

 which he named Hapalotis arboricola, in the belief that it was indigenous, as it 

 was not uncommon in the garden. The description was afterwards published in 

 the Introduction to Gould's "Mammals of Australia," p. xxxv.. 1863. 

 Mr. E. H. Waitc suhsei|ueiitly gave full particuhirs of the remarkiihlc habits of 



