656 



NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



Mr. Fred. Turner exhibited from the Tweed River district of 

 New South Wales, three suspected poisonous plants, viz.: — 

 Indigofera mistralis, Willd., Phyllanthus Gasstrcemii, Muell., 

 and Brei/nia ohlongifolia, Muell. These plants have been sus- 

 pected of causing red water in cattle, and in addition, the firsts 

 named is thought to bring on premature labour in stock. In 

 contirmation of this the Hon. P. L. C. Shepherd, M.L.C., 

 informed Mr. Turner that when he first went to live at Colo Vale 

 he took with him several cows in calf and mares in foal, and after 

 the animals had eaten of the Indigofera australi^ they slipped the 

 foetus. Singular to saj", that when the stock had been some 

 time on the estate they never suffered in a similar way, although 

 the indigo still grew fairly plentifully there. These plants are 

 included in Turner's list of supposed poisonous plants of Australia. 

 He also showed a photograph of " Insect Mimicry," taken direct 

 from the natural objects by Andre k, Sleigh's special three-colour 

 process; and forwarded to the exhibitor by Sir Henr}^ Trueman- 

 Wood, M. A., Secretary, Society of Arts, London. 



Mr. Baker exhibited specimens of the Symphcos described in 

 his paper. 



Mr. Froggatt showed specimens of a lamellicorn beetle, Pento- 

 don australifi^ Blackb., from Sackville Reach, Ha wkesbury River, 

 where the species of late has done much damage to maize seed in 

 the ground, as well as to the young corn; under ordinar}' circum- 

 stances the insect frequents the huW gYa,%s!, (^Paspaluiii) of the flats, 

 but in the absence of floods has become a pest to the farmer. He 

 also showed examples of another beetle of the same family, 

 Chiroplatijs sp., which has taken to devouring potatoes and 

 tomatoes in the Windsor and Richmond districts. 



Mr. Stead narrated some recent experiences with a very large 

 shoal of "salmon " (Arr-ipis salar, Rich.) in Port Hacking, Avhich 

 comprised prol^abh' some hundreds of thousands of individuals. 



